


Truth

by Lilkiwibird



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2020-03-24 03:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 48
Words: 153,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18999436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilkiwibird/pseuds/Lilkiwibird
Summary: Edith has wanted to serve as long as she can remember. To be of use, to be free. With the fall of Wall Maria, she might get her chance; just not in the way she expected...





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Work is also cross-posted on FanFiction.net & Wattpad

**_"They first appeared over a hundred years ago, giant humanoid creatures with a taste for our blood. The brute strength of these aberrations trumped a person's many times over. We were shoved to the brink of extinction, almost over night._ **

**_The survivors erected Walls Maria, Rose & Sina; withdrawing behind them in frightened terror, for what was to be a century of uneasy peace. And then..."_ **


	2. The Fall of Shiganshina: To You, 2000 Years in the Future

**_"Everyone remembers where they were when terrible things happen. What they were doing_ ** **_leading up to it. Just like the fall of Wall Maria" - Edith M. Brown's Diary, 846_ **

**Winter 845  
Eight Mile, Shiganshina District**

A lazy winter breeze blew through the district of Shiganshina, ruffling the trees as it passed by. Birds chirped as they dove and soared above the towering walls, encasing the people below. The calm and happy buzz encompassed the district as people went about their day; completely blissful in their ignorance of what was to come.

A simple two story house stood, sandwiched between the other houses that ran the length of the cluttered street. The rickety exterior blending in with the other broken houses around it and the wooded area that bordered the backends of the houses. A large wonky '44' sat on the front door, the paint peeling off in flakes.

Inside number 44, the faded and jaundice walls of the home were wallpapered in everything from detailed and precise diagrams to wild and messy figures. Little wooden toys and dirty clothes lined every available surface. Upon the piss-ridden couch lay a middle-aged man who grunted and groaned every now and then in his sleep. Several empty bottles of mead laid on the floor around him.

A tall red-head danced around the items strewn upon the kitchen floor as she stirred the slightly burned oatmeal where it hung over the fireplace. "Edith? Can you go call the others in for breakfast?" The older woman called to her younger sister, both ignoring the man on the couch.

The short auburn-haired teen in question, looked up from the small iron figure in her hands to her elder sister. "Okay, Freya" She replied as she swept up the pages of detailed alchemic diagrams that blanketed the table and stuffed them back into the large leather-bound book.

Tucking the book away in the box under the stairs, Edith made her way to the back door. Swinging it open, the hinges protested as the door hit the back wall with a loud bang. "Oi! Careful with the door!" Freya called from the kitchen as she continued to prepare breakfast.

Outside, Edith saw two of her brothers, Isaac and Philip, chopping the larger logs of firewood that her younger siblings, Caleb and Daisy, were hauling over to them. Looking down at the bottom of the porch steps sat their youngest sibling, Lewis, where he was weaving flowers together in a crown; two full racks of kindling sat at his feet.

"Hey Lewis, what 'cha got there?" Edith asked as she skipped down the steps to squat next to her youngest brother.   
"I'm makin' a crown!" he crowed, showing the item to her. It was less of a crown and more a messy tangle of wildflowers somehow linked together. Not that she would ever tell him that.

"Oh cool! Are you gonna be, like the prince of the forest or something?"

"I'm gonna be a fairy princess!" he replied a serious look on his face as he continued to weave flowers together.

"Okay, well...Freya says it's breakfast time"

"Okay"

Edith waited until Caleb had scampered inside before she stood up and looked out towards where her other siblings were still working. She raised her fingers to her mouth and let out a piercing whistle, catching their attention. "BREAKFAST!" she called, hands cupping her mouth, before she turned on her heel and rushed back inside.

* * *

Freya ran her fingers over the full calendar on the wall, scanning it for any events. "Shit" she cursed as her fingers stopped on today's date, where the word 'TAXES!' had been written and circled in red.

Placing the jug of questionable water on the table, she twisted around to pull the container marked 'TAXES' off of the shelf and place it on the table where Philip, Edith, Lewis and Caleb had started eating breakfast. "Taxes" Freya stated as she swung back into the kitchen to fill up another bowl of oatmeal.  
"Yeah" replied Philip as he poured himself a glass of murky water.

"Coming through!" called Isaac as he raced into the dining area with Daisy on his back, before dumping her in one of the spare chairs, and he took the other.  
"Taxes" said Philip as he placed some money into the container and passed it onto Isaac, who in turn passed it onto Caleb and Edith, each putting in some money as they went.

"No! You got swampland on the front of that shirt!" Freya scolded. Daisy looked down at the stained shirt in question. It wasn't that bad, "Arms up!" ordered Freya as she pulled the shirt off of her sister, flipped it inside out and slipped it back on.

"Oh! Field trip, need Dad's signature" Caleb stated around a mouth of oatmeal, as he handed the paper slip over to Edith. Caleb was lucky, he was a couple of years older than her and allowed to go on the field trip, the local school organised every year to Trost.

Edith still had a couple of years to go till then. Wordlessly she took the paper slip and forged the signature without question, before handing it back to him. "Oh wow, Pip. That's getting really good" Caleb praised as he scanned the paper before stuffing it back into his pants.

"How much are we short?" Asked Freya as she leant against the kitchen counter, spooning lukewarm oatmeal into her mouth.  
"$17.90" replied Edith.  
"Oh, I'm smithing today, I should be able to put in, like $10 more" added Philip.  
"Hey did, uh, Daisy put in any?" Isaac asked.  
"Mmm" Philip agreed.  
"You're almost ten. You're gonna have to start pulling your weight" added Edith as she took a swig of water.  
"That's right, and get a real job. Not just dipping into the collection plate at the Wallists" Isaac continued. Daisy just nodded once in response and continued eating.  
"I'm filling in for Maggie. I can cover the rest" said Freya as she dumped her empty bowl in the sink, rinsing it off with the water that was left in her cup.

"So Edith, anything special planned for today? See anyone?" Freya asked, ignoring the noises from the couch as their father stirred and their brothers left for work.  
"Nah, not really" replied Edith, finishing the last of her breakfast and placing her bowl with the others in the sink and ignoring her sisters attempts to talk about her love life or lack thereof.

"If you two want a ride, hurry up!" Edith called to Lewis and Daisy as she grabbed her satchel from under the stairs, before meeting the two by the door.  
"Is he dead?" Daisy asked as she and Lewis came to a hurried to stop beside her. Their father grunted and released a deadly fart as he rolled over. "Ugh! Gross!"  
"Nope" replied Edith as the trio rushed out the front door and commandeered a pushbike which had been left lying on the street. Lewis sat snug on the handlebars and Daisy hung onto the back as Edith pedalled.

"Oi! That's my fucking bike!" called one of the neighbour kids as they zoomed off down the street. Daisy flipped them the bird as they passed.

* * *

The tolling of the town bell rang throughout the district as Edith, Lewis and Daisy wove through the crowds lining the streets a few hours after school had ended for the day, before finding a spot to sit on a large pile of wooden crates to watch the return of the Scout Regiment. Edith tuned out Lewis' praises he gushed for the men before him; who continued on in their procession of sad and broken soldiers under the watchful eyes of the townspeople.

Daisy glanced at Edith out of the corner of her eyes as they watched the soldiers march by, "D'you still wanna join 'em?" she asked quietly.  
"Yeah, but you know how Rey is. If I so much as mentioned it, she's all  _'you'll be a dog of the military!"_ or  _'Ma didn't sacrifice everything, for you to throw it away!'_ I mean, by my age, Ma was already serving and a seasoned alchemist! I can barely even  **practise**  without Rey looking over my shoulder" Edith ranted as her eyes followed the soldiers.

"But you'd be safe. If you didn't join, I mean" said Daisy, her eyes following a cart of wounded.  
"Yeah, but...I-I don't wanna be stuck as some housewife. Y'know?"

"...Yeah"

"MOSES! MOSES!" called an elderly woman as she burst forth from the crowd, into the stream of solemn soldiers. The crowd's attention now solely on her, as the procession froze, watching everything play out. "Beg your pardon, where is my son? He should be with you all. Oh please tell me he made it!" she cried, clinging to the commander's front. Surely she must've known what happened to him? Lewis was still in his hero worship stage, but even he must've had some inkling of what had happened.

"I wish I had better news" replied the Commander, "Give it to her" He couldn't even look at the woman as a small item was presented to the woman, wrapped in a bloody cloth. It was an arm. Moses' mother fell to the ground and wept, hugging the appendage to her bosom as the Commander continued, "I'm sorry. That was all that was left of him"

"H-He-he did good? He was brave? Tell me my son stood his ground to the bitter end! That his death meant something! TELL ME HIS SACRIFICE GAVE US A BETTER CHANCE!" she wailed, staring up at the Commander who had knelt down before her. The question seemed to have hit a chord with the Commander as he began to weep, bowing to the woman before him.

"He was brave! But...his sacrifice meant nothing. So with all our losses, it's ever the same...THE DAY WAS LOST! WE HAVE NOTHING! YOUR SON DIED BECAUSE OF ME! I SENT HIM TO HIS DEATH! I SENT ALL OF THEM TO THEIR DEATHS! AND THERE IS NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT! ALL OF IT AMOUNTS TO NOTHING!"

* * *

"Hey Peggy?" Edith asked her friend from where the two lay on the riverbank, their skirts hiked up and their feet floating in the water; her eyes followed a pair of ducks as they soared above them.

"Yeah?" Peggy asked, her honeycomb hair flittering in the breeze as she glanced at her friend, before looking back at the cloudy sky.  
"If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be?"  
"Hm...I'd be a bird so I could soar up, up and away, away from this cage...I'd be free"  
"Yeah, that'd be nice...Your Dad still giving you trouble?"  
"...He says he got a good one lined up for me. Some old guy in Stohess with and I quote  _'more money than God!'_ What about you? Your sister still on your case about following your Ma?"  
"Yeah. She's got Daisy onto me too now"

Peggy opened her mouth to say more when blinding lightning lit up the sky and the ground rumbled, shaking everything to the core. "Holy shit! What was that?!" cried Peggy as she and Edith stumbled to their feet, away from the rolling water.   
"Maybe they know?" asked Edith, pointing to a group of people standing in the middle of the street.  
"Maybe" replied Peggy as the two made their way over to the other people.

Edith ignored her friend's attempts to ask someone what was going on, instead following their gazes to the wall. What she saw chilled her to her bones. She grabbed onto Peggy's wrist pulling her close. "What?" Peggy asked, still lost.  
"Look" Edith replied, a choked gasp was all that Peggy could emit as she watched the nightmare play out.

A large meaty hand emerged from the towering smoke and gripped the top of the wall. The stone cracked beneath the weight as the head of the Titan soon appeared. "Oh Sina! That's impossible! The wall's 50 meters high!" Edith whispered, eyes bulging as she realised what she was seeing.

Everyone around them stood frozen in terror as they watched the Titan stand up to its full height above the gate. No one seemed to breathe as it reared its foot back and kicked the gate in. All at once the trance seemed to shatter.

Buildings shattered upon the impact of the shockwave, the bell tower was blown off its foundations and further into the city. People were knocked off their feet and crushed under flying debris. It wasn't until the Colossal Titan disappeared from view, did the screams of terror fill the air. Hordes of Titans were waddling through the opening and eating people left, right and centre.

"W-We have to go! Eddie! We gotta go now!" cried Peggy, pulling on her friend's arm towards the boats.

"L-Lewis and Daisy are over there! And Freya! And...!" rambled Edith as she shook off her friend's hand before she took off towards her home.  
"Eddie! Wait!" called Peggy, racing after her friend.

* * *

The two dodged bloody boulders and wrecked houses as they made their way to the end of the Eight Mile. They didn't even get down the street before they were swept up in familiar arms. "Oh thank Maria! You're okay! You're okay!" cried Isaac as he peppered her head with kisses, hugging her close to him. Next to them, Peggy was clinging to Philip like he'd disappear if she let go.

"Izzy, we've gotta go!" Philip called, tugging on his brother's sleeve as the two picked up the girls and began the trek to the river.  
"But what about Lewis or Daisy or Freya? We can't leave without them!" cried Edith, still clutching on to her brother.  
"Freya's okay. She was down by Joseph's Bakery"  
"But what about Lewis and Daisy?"

"Pip...Lewis and Daisy are dead"  
"...What? No! You're lying!" Edith cried.  
"I-I wish I was" Isaac choked out, tears streaming down his face.  
"...You're lying! You have to be..." she whimpered, even as she watched a Titan reach down and pluck something from the wreckage of their home, chowing down on whatever they had taken.

 **_"...And just like that, everything changed. At that terrible moment, in our hearts, we knew home was a pen; humanity, cattle"- The_ ** **_  Fall of Shiganshina _ ** **_, Armin Arlert_ **


	3. The Fall of Shiganshina: That Day

**_"People often forget that nightmares are dreams too. So why, for the love of Rose, could I not wake up from this one?" - Edith M. Brown's Diary, 846_ **

**Winter 845  
** **River Esen, Shiganshina District**

"...TILL THEN A MAN APRAT FROM GOD! O WRETCHED WAS I...AM I PUNISHED FOR IT? PUNISHED FOR THE JUSTICE OF GOD?"  _Leave it to the Wallists to continue preaching even when the world has gone to shit._ Isaac though through his fear-riddled haze as the preachings were suddenly cut short, the wallist no doubt having been devoured by a Titan.

"HURRY UP! KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE GATE!" called a Garrison soldier as hordes of people fled from the approaching Titans, many being plucked from where they stood and eaten before they could scream "DROP EVERYTHING! FIND THE FERRY NEAREST YOU AND CLIMB ABOARD FOR ALL YOUR WORTH! MOVE IT! THESE THINGS AREN'T GONNA GIVE YOU A HEAD START!"

Upon arriving at the dock, Philip and Isaac pushed their ways through the throngs of people, trying to find their other sister. "PHIL! IZZY!" a voice called, their heads snapped towards the boats where Freya was leaning over the edge of one of the boats, waving her arms in the air.

For once, Isaac was glad for his family's short stature as he and his brother were herded onto the boat, with his sister and her friend in tow. Once on board, they picked their way over to where Freya had been standing, neither letting go the cargo they clutched to their chests.

Freya hardly held back as she leapt at the four of us, trying to hug everyone at once. Isaac wasn't sure what would happen next, left floundering in the wake of this event, he looked to his elder siblings. Freya sat clutching onto Philip who in turn had still not let go of Peggy.

The poor girl was sobbing quietly into his shirt. She was not alone, it was a reunion filled with tears. Something that would soon become very familiar. The gentle chug of the boat's engines filled the heavy silence. When could we wake up from this nightmare?

**_"So called outlier districts like Shiganshina, jut out like thorns on vital points along Wall Maria. Their basic function is to streamline troop dispersal and keeping security costs down by drawing Titans into specific areas. The calculated design flaw in all outlier districts is that they have only a single gate through which the citizens are able to retreat deeper inward should the need arise"- The_ ** **_Wall & Its Districts, _ ** **_Father E. S. Northgate_ **

Edith looked up from where she had buried her face in her brother's shoulder when the sound of loud thumping footsteps echoed throughout the district. Looking up, she could just see the albino hair of the Titan as it thundered down the street towards that gate that sat on Wall Maria.

She lost sight of it as the boat floated through the gate, but she could still hear it. All at once, it reached a crescendo of noise as an almighty crash was heard through the canon fire and screaming. Edith watched on in horror as she realised what had happened. The Titan had breached Wall Maria. This was not a nightmare, it was real.

**_"...Bad news travelled like the plague, infecting all and everything it touched. Hours after Shiganshina fell, every man, woman and child knew the unthinkable had come to pass. Maria had fallen. Terror encompassed all" - Edith M. Brown's Diary, 846_ **

The few ferries that made it out of Shiganshina before the Armoured Titan broke through, steadily made their way to the closest dock in Trost. The 500 odd people on board could only watch on in horror was people inside Wall Maria were turned away at the docks, left to fend for themselves against the Titans. Much like they had.

It didn't take long for thoughts to turn to survival. What would they do now? Families had been torn apart, childhoods ripped to pieces. No one made it out from this unscathed. Now it was a waiting game, you just had to wait and see what would happen next.

**_"In terrified haste, the central government declared the outlying districts a lost cause and decreed all mankind retreat behind Wall Rose. Estimates tell that nearly 10,000 lives were lost to the Titan offensive"_ ** **_ The Fall of Shiganshina _ ** **_, Armin Arlert_ **

* * *

_Alchemic diagrams flashed before her vision, come and gone too quickly to truly study. She felt like she was falling and flying all at once. The darkness around her was suffocating, pushing down her throat and pulling the breath from her lungs._

_Edith gasped, tears streaming down her face as she clawed at her throat, trying to pull some air into her lungs. She clawed and pulled until she felt a hot thick liquid run down her hands. Looking down, she saw her hands were covered in blood. A gurgling sound escaped her torn throat as blood bubbled and spilt on her hands._

_A lone figure stood in front of her, blinding white encompassing them like a blanket. Only the figure's mouth was visible, present in a bone-chilling grin. She felt like she was falling. Maybe this was the end? A lone voice wafted her way as her eyes slid shut, "Oh come on, don't you want to know your Truth?"_

* * *

Edith shot upright, gasping for breath as she clutched onto the front of her sweater. The tolling of the bells brought her back to reality, where Peggy had been trying to get her attention. "-ddie? Eddie? Are you all right?" Peggy asked her, clutching on to her shoulder to steady her friend.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a-a bad dream" Edith yawned as she got her breathing under control, "Where's the others?" she asked looking around at the warehouse they were in.  
"Outside, they're handing out food rations near the warehouse" replied Peggy as she stood up and held out her hand to Edith, pulling her up.

"I think this is where they used to store all the dried goods. Now it's where they corral the refugees" explained Peggy, not once letting go of Edith's hand. Edith raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked around at the scene before her.

There was a station where Garrison soldiers were handing out rolls of bread to the throngs of people lining up. There was barely any room to move, let alone eat. They were like animals in a pen. "Not exactly a dignified first impression, y'know?" Peggy commented as a skirmish broke out off to the side between to middle-aged men over a roll of bread.

"Look whose awake!" called Isaac as he, Freya and Philip made their way over to the duo still standing under the arches. Each was munching on a tough piece of bread.  
"Make it last" warned Freya as she handed Edith a roll and Philip gave one to Peggy, "There's a shortage. They were already dealing with famine before we got here, so it's an ugly situation. That and this far in there's a greater despair between the haves and the have-nots"

The younger two gratefully bit into their tough rolls, ignoring the looks and comments thrown towards them by some of the Garrison soldiers as they childishly used the older siblings as their walls against them.

* * *

**Winter 845-46**

**Trost District**

"LISTEN UP! ALL ABLE-BODIED REFUGEES WILL BE PUT TO WORK IN THE FIELDS!" called an unknown Garrison soldier from where he stood upon the porch overlooking warehouse courtyard. Low grumbles and groans were heard scattered throughout the crowds, but it was no use.

By the start of the new day, all able-bodied people, young and old were to put to work in the wastelands. Calling them fields was laughable. It was a last ditch effort to raise food from the cold hard ground, many did not make it through the winter.

As the days wore on, the situation seemed to sink in and cement itself into people's minds. Many lost their battle to starvation, sickness, madness, depression. Freya was one of these people. Edith knew that she was trying her best to hide her true feelings from her siblings, to stay strong for them. But the loss of Lewis and Daisy was dragging her down. Working in the fields, on empty stomachs didn't seem to help matters.

Despite this, people held out hope for food to grow from the land. To their horror the cold, hard ground yielded nothing, not even a sprig. And so it was in the following year, that the remaining able-bodied refugees who were old enough to serve in the military were tasked with reclaiming Wall Maria. Everyone knew they were marching to their deaths, but for their children, they would do anything.

On that day, exactly one year after the fall of Wall Maria, Edith joined her siblings and her friend in the march towards death. Of the 250,000 people sent-nearly 20% of the surviving population, not even 200 made it back. While the attempt did nothing to drive the Titans back, it did lessen the effect of famine within the Walls.

* * *

The procession of broken bodies who returned to the Walls was significantly less than those who had ventured out. In a rickety wagon, Edith lay bloodied and broken, tears streaming down her face. There were bandages covering the right-hand side of her torso and shoulder, the blood seeping through the hastily applied bandages.

Next to her sat Peggy, the girl broken and battered, her tear-stained eyes locked on the bottom of the wagon, her feet barley touching Edith as the wagon rocked to and fro. She couldn't bare to look at Edith, how could she? She had lost her surrogate siblings to Titans and then Edith had to go and do something  **so stupid**.

Peggy had found her, lying face down on a transmutation circle, the bodies of her siblings strewn about her and her right arm missing. It was only through sheer might that she had been able to bully a medic into helping her friend. They had wanted to leave her for dead. How could Edith do that to her? She had lost so much already, she didn't want to lose anymore.

* * *

Edith sat on the steps to the make-shift infirmary in the warehouse they had first arrived in. She fiddled with the lump of metal in her hand, it had been her very first attempt transmuting the metal into an animal, a bird. Edith had given it to Isaac for his birthday that year. She had no idea that he still kept it on him.

"So, what now?" Edith asked, not looking up from the metal in her hand. Peggy clasped her hands together and looked over at her heavily bandaged friend with a sigh, bracing herself for what was to come.  
"I've been thinking...about taking up that man in Stohess about his marriage proposal"

"What?" exclaimed Edith as her head snapped up to her, "But you hated the idea of it before! Said he was some creepy old guy!"  
"But he's a safe bet. Guy like him? Probably only last a few more years, then his assets are mine. You could come too, he'd be able to help you!"  
"What! Are you insane! I told you I don't want to be some caged little housewife! Nor do I want to wait around for some old guy to die!"  
"But what you want and what you need are two very different things!"  
"And how would you know? I just lost my family and now you're running off to the arms of some deep-pocketed pervert!"  
"That's not true!"  
"Isn't it?"

"...Is there really nothing I can say to change your mind?"  
"Yeah, looks like it"  
"You still set on joining the military?"  
"Yeah"  
"...We'll have to do something about that arm then" Edith managed a smirk in response.


	4. Humanity's Comeback: A Dim Light Amid Despair

_**"...Isn't it amazing what the human body can do?" - Edith M. Brown's Diary, 847** _

_**Summer 847** _  
**Military Boot Camp**

Garbed in the military uniform of the cadets, Edith stood, spine straight, arms crossed behind her back among 200-odd hopefuls of the 104th cadet corps. At 17, she was one of the older cadets in the ranks, however as per usual her short stature made her appear younger than she actually was, letting her fit in slightly with some of the younger cadets.

"STRAIGHTEN THOSE SPINES PISS-ANTS! THE 104TH CADET CORPS BOOT CAMP STARTS NOW! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF! I'M COMMANDANT KEITH SHADIS AND YOU WILL GROW TO HATE ME!

TRAINING IS GONNA BE WHITE-KNUCKLED RIDE THROUGH HELL IF I'VE DONE MY JOB, YOU'LL BE WAKING UP IN COLD SWEATS WITH MEMORIES OF THIS PLACE FOR EVERY NIGHT FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE LIVES!

RIGHT NOW YOU'RE NOTHING! LIVESTOCK! BUT OVER THE NEXT THREE SOUL CRUSHING YEARS, YOU'LL LEARN TO TAKE DOWN YOUR OWN GOLIATH! REMEMBER THIS MOMENT WHEN YOU COME FACE TO FACE WITH THEM! CAUSE HERE'S WHERE YOU ASK YOURSELF.

AM I A FIGHTER OR, AM FEED? AM I GONNA BE GROUND UP TO PULPY HUMAN GRISTLE BETWEEN BOULDER-SIZED INCISORS OR, AM GONNA BE THE ONE TO BITE?!" declared Shadis as he stood on the platform before them.  _Well, isn't he just a little ray of sunshine._  Edith thought as Shadis remained on the stage, letting his words seep in before he stepped down and began to prowl down the rows of cadets.

"HEY MOP TOP!" Shadis called as he came to a stop in front a young blonde-hair male in the third row.

"Sir!" saluted the blonde, fist over chest as he stood to attention.

"WHAT DO THEY CALL YOU MAGGOT?!"  
"Armin Arlert from Shiganshina, sir!"

"WOW, SERIOUSLY? WHY WOULD YOUR PARENTS CURSE YOU SUCH A DUMB NAME?"

"It was my grandfather, sir!"

"CADET ARLERT, WHY'S A RUNT LIKE YOU HERE?!"

"To help humanity overcome the Titans!"

"THAT'S DELIGHTFUL TO HEAR, YOU'RE GONNA BE A GREAT LIGHT SNACK FOR 'EM!" retorted Shadis as he forcefully turned Armin around by his head, "ROW THREE ABOUT FACE, RUNT!"

Shadis let go of the blonde's head as he continued on down the line, coming to stand in front of another blonde. "WHAT DO YOU CALL YOURSELF?"

"Sir! My name is Thomas Wagner I'm from the Trost District!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

* * *

The Commander of the Cadet training corps meandered down the trail, followed by his lieutenant, watching over the newest recruits."Look at him go, the man is a master when it comes to fresh-faced recruits" commented the Commander.

"That takes me back" added the lieutenant as the group watched on while Shadis shouted in the face of some girl from Karanese."What's the point of all the intimidation?"

"It's a rite of passage. Through stress and degeneration, we revert them to blank slates. From there we can mould them bit by bit into proper soldiers. He is the first step in that process"

"There's some he's passing by" The lieutenant noted.

"A drill instructor is  **nothing** compared to what those recruits have seen. They were there, witnesses to the Titan attack two years ago, you can read it in their faces...Come on, let's go"

* * *

Shadis continued on down the rows, calling on a Jean Kirschtein from Trost who wanted to be an MP, a Marco Bott who was too friendly for his own good, a Connie Springer from Ragako Village who seemed a little thick and finally came to a stop in front of a Sasha Blouse who had the audacity to not only eat a baked potato at a time like this but to offer the lesser half of said potato to Shadis.

* * *

"Man! I thought Shadis was gonna kill Potato Girl!" exclaimed Connie as he stood amongst a couple of stragglers outside the mess hall later that evening, now dressed in casual wear.

"Yeah, I know. One hell of a first day" replied Eren as the group watched Sasha run laps around the yard, "It's funny being told to run till the sun set didn't seem to upset her as much as loosing meal privileges for the next five days"  
"I think she said she was from Dauper, if I remember correctly that's a small hunting village up in the mountains"

"Hey, what's that?" Eren asked looking towards a departing caravan on the other side of the yard.

"They're dropouts. They prefer to work in the fields" explained Edith from where she leant against the railing.

"But...it's only the first day!" exclaimed Armin.

"That's the way it is. Can't handle the pressure, you gotta leave. I can't believe anyone would rather pull plants than fight" commented Eren.

"I know about some of us, but where are you from Eren?" Marco asked as the group turned their focus towards him.

"Same as Armin, Shiganshina" Eren replied, clapping Armin on the shoulder.

"Oh wow! That means..." trailed Marco.

"...You were there that day. The colossal one, did you see it?" Connie asked excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah I did"

Edith chose that moment to slip away into the mess hall to find some dinner.

* * *

"Can I sit here?" Edith asked the brunette sitting alone at one of the tables. 

"Sure" replied the brunette around a mouthful of gruel as Edith sat down and dunked her roll into her gruel. It wasn't the best, but it was food and they were given double rations, so who was she to complain?

"I'm Eddie by the way" she introduced.

"Eddie?"

"Edith"

"...You and I are gonna be good friends Eddie" declared the brunette,"I'm Gus"

"Gus?"

"Augusta"

"Nice to meet 'cha Gus" replied Edith shaking her hand, "So where ya' from?"

"Orvud. You?"

"Shiganshina"

"Seriously? Shit. Sorry dude"

"No worries...you're not gonna ask?"

"I wasn't gonna pry. 'Sides if I wanted to ask, I could always go over to golden boy" replied Augusta, nodding towards one of the other tables where Eren appeared to be preaching to the group of cadets who surrounded him, most of them from the interior.

"Fair enough...Maria's tits! He sounds like a wallist!" laughed Edith.

"No kidding!"

* * *

The following day found Edith and Augusta grouped with the other cadets around several lots of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear rigs as they waited for Shadis to introduce the task. "You ready for this?" Edith muttered to Augusta, a grin on her face.

"So ready" she replied, wearing a matching grin.

"IT'S APTITUDE TEST TIME, SO LISTEN UP! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR YOU HERE IF YOU CANNOT PERFORM! FAIL AND BE SHIPPED TO THE FIELDS!" Shadis declared as cadets began to be hoisted up into the air, many taking a few tries to find the right balance.

The cadet Commander and his lieutenant wandered passed as they surveyed this year's crop of recruits. "We're just drilling the fundamentals here. You can determine a cadet's knack for it just by watching" stated the Commander as his eyes drifted over the current recruits in the rigs, landing on Mikasa Ackerman as he continued "Like her. Completely steady, she instinctively knows what to do and how to make it happen. That's what aptitude is all about. I'd say we'd have several capable cadets this year"

"What about this guy?" asked the lieutenant pointing towards one of the cadets.

"That's precisely why we run these tests. It proves that drive and dedication do not always translate into capability" The cadet in question, Eren, was hung upside down, unable to flip himself upright.

"WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION JEAGER? STRAIGHTEN YOURSELF UP!" Shadis shouted as many of the other cadets began to chuckle, much to Eren's horror. Further down the line, Edith hung from the rig, swaying slightly in the breeze. It had only been a year since she'd last donned the familiar gear, and yet it felt as easy as slipping back into a familiar routine. Muscle memory was a wonderful thing.

* * *

Later that evening, once everyone had packed up for the night and gone to bed, Edith had snuck out to the lake to go for a swim. The shared showers were all well and good, but sometimes you just wanted a little bit of privacy. Not to mention the scenery was amazing at this time of night.

Stripping down to her skivvies, Edith left her nightclothes and a towel she'd snagged from the bathroom, on the shore as she went for a swim. The shock of the cold water, brought goosebumps to skin at first, before she dove further into the water, adapting to temperature.

Laying on her back, Edith floated lazily across the water's surface, gazing up at the starry sky, the full moon bathing her and the lake top in an eery glow. Raising her prosthetic hand, she traced different constellations, starting with Matariki and ending with the Southern Cross; as her thoughts drifted back to the latest letter she had received from Peggy.

Things seemed to be going well, she had successfully sealed the engagement to the guy in Stohess, one who was significantly younger than her father had made him out to be. Something she was both glad and disappointed for. Glad that she had found a companion in her arranged husband-to-be and disappointed that she would not inherit the fortune her father promised her. All in all, things seemed to be going well.

With a sigh, Edith dipped back below the water before making her way back to the shore; she was starting to prune. Heaving herself up on to the shore, Edith towelled her braid dry before twisting it up into bun and pulled her dark grey sweatpants on.

The sound of a twig snapping broke the serene silence that encompassed the small area, making Edith snap to attention, her tunic clutched in her hands. Eyes narrowed towards the noise, she listened closely for anymore sounds as she wrapped her tunic around her hands, pulling it taut to use as a weapon if necessary.

"Come out. I know you're there" she called, waiting for the person or people to emerge from the woods. It took a moment for the culprits to sheepishly emerge and when they did, Edith felt the tension fall away as her shoulders sagged.

Armin, Eren, Reiner and Bertodlt all wore red-tinted cheeks as they gazed upon the sight before them. "Sina's tits! Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" Edith complained as she shrugged her tunic on, ignorant to the boys' embarrassment at her scarred shirtless figure and bent to retrieve her towel from the ground.

"W-What are you doing out here?" Reiner managed to stutter out, trying to take hold of the situation as his eyes roved over the bite mark scar that covered the majority of the right-hand side of her torso.

"I could ask you the same thing" she replied, slinging the towel over her shoulder, "But if Eren's head is any indication you're probably gonna try the rigs again, yeah?"

"Uh, y-yeah" Eren muttered.

"Hey Edith" Armin began, "You did pretty well on the ODM Gear earlier, do you have any tips?"

"Uh, well, I've got an unfair advantage since I've used the gear before" she replied.

"What? When?" Eren demanded, stepping forward as he did so.

"I, uh, I was a part of the failed retake of Wall Maria operation. We were given a crash course a couple of weeks before we left"

"...Is-is that where you got the scar?" Reiner asked, speaking up.

"Yeah, I-I got lucky" she replied not looking at any of the boys as she shifted on her feet.

"Wait, if you were a part of the operation, then why are you at boot camp? The survivors got instantly accepted into the service"

"That's only if you want to be a soldier. Since I want to be a field medic, I have to do the standard three years of training"

"Oh"

"Yeah...Well, good luck on the rig" Edith uttered before she made her way back to the barracks, closing the squeaky door as quietly as she could, she dumped herself on her bed by the door. Sleep came soon after.

* * *

"Eren Jeager, are you ready?" Shadis asked. It seemed he had a second tone other than shouting.

"Yes sir!" Eren replied, as he was cinched into the rig. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he was hoisted into the air, a look of pure determination on his face. Edith and the rest of the cadets watched on in anticipation as Eren hung upright for a few moments, earning cheers from the crowd before he once again face-planted.

"Lower him" ordered Shadis as Eren was lowered onto his hands and knees, practically begging to be given another chance. It was at times like these where Edith truly remembered how young a lot of these cadets were. Sure they acted older, but at heart, many of them were still children.

"Wagner, please exchange belts with Mr Jeager" Shadis ordered, a calm facade displayed on his exterior.

"Uh, yes sir!" Wagner replied as he removed his own belt and swapped it for the one Eren handed to him. Eren was once more hoisted into the air, this time able to stay upright for more than a couple of moments.

"Your equipment was defective. If given a piece of functional gear, you might not be worthless after all. No one noticed this broken clasp, might have to visit the supply depot and crack a couple of skulls" Shadis stood before him, the broken belt clutched tight in his hands and explained what had happened.

Murmurs ran through the crowd as the other cadets realised what had happened. "So you mean I- I didn't wash out?" Eren stuttered.

"You made the cut. Keep training cadet! Next up is the full gear!"


	5. Into the Woods: Distress

**_"If_ ** **_Little Red Riding Hood  _ ** **_has taught us anything, it's that you don't go picking the pretty flowers. It might just bite you in the ass" -Edith M. Brown Diary, 848_ **

**Summer, 848  
** **104th Training Exercise, Trost Wildlands**

Initially, the exercise wasn't supposed to be that difficult. We should have known better. For this exercise, the 104th cadet corps had been split in two groups. We were to make a round trip to our target location, the forest, and record any and all progress within the given time period. It was such a short distance, only 80Km return, nothing should have gone wrong.

In the first group, Marco was in the lead with Armin to record, whilst in the second group Thomas was to lead and Mikasa was to record. Both teams set out at the same time, and proceeded towards the huge forest. The groups were to meet up within the forest and trade information before returning to the starting point, using the opposite paths. Coming full circle back to the start.

The aim of this exercise was to evaluate everyone's ability to sustain themselves in the middle of a crisis. So with so little supplies, apart from the horses and basic gear, the cadet corps were left to their own devices.

Edith was glad that she had been placed in the group with Marco and Armin at the helm. Sure they were some of the quieter cadets, but Marco had good instincts and Armin had so much intelligence, it was almost terrifying.

Glancing around at her group, Edith tried to ignore the sweat sliding down her back or the way her prosthetic seemed to melt into her skin as she reminisced on the events of the past year while the horses trekked along the path. The 104th cadet corps had definitely grown smaller in numbers; many of the dropouts falling from the programme not long after they began to work on the ODM gear.

Most left because they couldn't take the stress anymore, more hands had been needed in the fields and not much had happened since the original appearance of the Colossal Titan & Armoured Titan. Others had been dismissed due to severe injuries acquired from the ODM gear. Like Gus, she'd fallen from such a height that even when healed, she'd never really be able to move the same again. Needles to say, Edith had had plenty of patients to practise on over the past year.

"So...we're not allowed to rush?" Marco asked, bringing Edith back into focus.  
"R-right" replied Armin, looking up from his notes.

"We'd also be stupid if we did. We can take our time" added Jean.

"You don't know your own limit. Jean, if you're going to take it slow, then I'm going ahead" said Eren as he moved forward in the formation, until Edith blocked his path.

"Calm down. Not everything has to be done like that. Besides you don't want to tire your horse out right away, especially when we've still got a fair amount of land to cover" Edith scolded, walking in front of Eren, preventing him from moving any further forward, "Right, Jean?"

"Like I care" scoffed Jean, "Extra effort here won't get me into the Military Police"

"In any case, let's just get on with the exercise" Marco interjected as Eren fell back alongside Armin and Edith behind Marco.

* * *

On the other side of the path, the second group had stopped for a short break within a small canyon to let the horses rest and refuel, underneath the tall cliffs, shading them from the sun that sat high in the cloudless sky. "...if that's true, then we may not be able to get there before nightfall" said Thomas as he had Mikasa looked over the map again.

"Then, maybe we should eastward a little?" Mikasa suggested.

"On the other hand, it may also be too shady" replied Thomas, taking a swig from the canteen as the other cadets readied their horses to move again.

* * *

Back with the first group, Jean and Eren seemed to be grating on everyone's last nerve. There was only so much complaining one could take, it was a wonder they had held out this long. "Geez...even the lizard's moving faster than we are..." Jean complained for the thousandth time that day.

"Y'know it's rare to see that. They're pretty delicious too" Sasha commented, once again thinking with her stomach.

"What?"

"They really are. My family and I used to eat them; they taste like chicken"

"You can cook?"

"Of course I can! Piece of cake!"

"All right, then!" Jean cheered as he kicked his horse into gear and raced after the lizard.

"Hey!" called Marco as Jean rushed passed.

"If hunting for food is part of the exercise, then what's better than getting that lizard?!" Jean retorted.

"Don't do that!" Krista called to no avail.

"I'm going ahead" called Eren as he raced towards Jean, unable to leave the situation alone. Edith just sighed, they were going to make a mountain out of a mole hill again.

Up ahead, Jean bared his blades as he came upon his prey, the lizard well within his sights. "Gotcha!" he cried as he swung his blades down on the lizard, only for them to be blocked at the last second. Glancing up he found that Eren had been the one to stop his kill.

"What are you doing?! This isn't a game!" Eren thundered as the lizard used that moment to escape.

"We don't even have an instructor! This training won't get us anywhere!" Jean roared back. That seemed to be the last straw for Marco as he leapt from his halted horse and marched over to where Jean and Eren were still going at it.

"Stop it! You're acting like brats!" Marco scolded.

"I don't want to hear that coming from  _you!"_ Jean retorted, still fired up from his shouting match with Eren.

"Jean! Get a hold of yourself!"

"This is all bullshit!"

"If we delay, it will have to be reported!' Marco shouted back, before turning to Armin and lowering his voice, "Please, don't record this yet, Armin"

"G-Got it" replied Armin.

"Write down:  _Jean Kirschtein tries to find food during the exercise, but gets interrupted by Eren Jeager"_ Jean adds sarcastically.

"What did you say?!" Eren demanded.

"I hope the others are doing better than we are" Edith sighed, watching on as the situation unfolded.

"That wouldn't be hard" Hannah replied from her right.

"Yeah, those two are like rubber and glue" added Connie as the two in front continued to bicker and Marco tried to mediate.

Suddenly, Sasha shouted "IT'S DELICIOUS" effectively breaking up whatever Jean and Eren had been trying to say and ending the argument there. Everyone snapped towards where Sasha sat at the back of the formation, where she had a glazed look in her eye. The same one she had whenever she thought or talked about food. So pretty often.

"...Let's go" Marco sighed, thankful for the interruption.

"O-okay" acquiesced Jean as Marco made his way back to his horse and Sasha continued to mumble about the lizard.

* * *

Later that evening as the sun began to set, the second group returned from their interrupted hunt to find their campsite laid completely bare. No supplies, no ODM gear. Nothing, except panic-stricken cadets. Shadis had made sure to put the fear of God in each and every one of them about what would happen if they ever misplaced their ODM gear, let alone lost it completely.

"Are you sure?" Mikasa asked her fellow cadet.

"There's no doubt about it. This was where we put it. Everything that we kept safe here...our ODM gear is gone..." he replied, still staring at the bare ground before him as he tried to comprehend what was going on.

"Over here" Annie called, gesturing towards a used fire pit where the blackened logs still lay.

"They've been gone for quite a while" Reiner stated as he held one of the cold and blackened logs in his hand.

"It's the same as what we found over there...How many people are involved?" Mikasa questioned aloud.

"Also...over here too" Annie pointed towards a trail of prints that led away from the campsite.

"Carriage tracks..." muttered Reiner.

"And there's a few of them" added Bertolt.

"There's no information about residents inhabiting this area" said Annie.

"It's probably a band of thieves" mused Reiner, "It seems they found out where the weapons were placed and stole them while we were gone. They must've gathered the ODM gear to make black market deals"

"So we're being targeted?" Thomas asked.

"If we had caught them, we would have been helpless to stop them. You should probably be happy that you're still alive" replied Mikasa.

"Should we stop the training and report this?"

"No, our target's right ahead of us. Speed up the exercise, tell Marco and his team about this and then get back to the training grounds" said Reiner.

* * *

"So this is what squad rations taste like..." mused Jean as he munched on his bland food along with the other cadets as they sat around the campfire. They had set up camp in a small ravine, with the horses tied to a few trees up on the bank.

"It would have been better if we'd caught the lizard" Sasha sighed wistfully.

"Enough. No more talk of lizards" said Marco, trying to stop an argument before it began.  
"And after all that effort of trying to hunt one..." Sasha continued.

"Well, we  _are_ supposed to hunt titans, right?" Jean spoke up.

"And what do you mean by that?" Eren demanded jumping to his feet, "Why did you even join the training corps?"

"To live something better than a humble life, at the very least" Jean replied as he calmly got to his feet and faced Eren head on.

"What did you say?!" Eren roared, insulted at the boy's obvious lack of respect for those in the other corps, "Some things can be tolerated and others can't!"

Across from Edith, Marco protested as Armin picked up the board to add the conflict to the report. "Geez, can't they let it go?" complained Hannah around a mouthful of rations.

"They're like dogs with a bone, not to mention they both know how to push each others buttons" replied Edith next to her, "It's like dinner and a show" Krista remained silent as everyone watched the argument escalate.

"You think that when a real titan shows up the results of training hard will pay off? Good jo-" taunted Jean, only to be cut off by Eren as he latched onto Jean's lapels and heaved him towards his face.

"That's enough from you!"

"Stop it!" cried Krista, launching to her feet.

"How about we actually hunt lizards? You'll feel better after that" Sasha added still not letting it go, but trying to help defuse the situation.

Edith snapped towards the forest at her back, eyes narrowed as she searched for the thing that caused the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Unnoticed, her body had tensed as she clutched tightly to the ration bar in her hand.

She flinched slightly at the hand that landed on her shoulder as she turned to face the person. It was Krista. "Is something wrong?" the short blonde asked, a look of concern plastered across her face as the other cadets focused on the escalating skirmish behind them. Mentally shaking herself, Edith gave Krista a smile as she glanced back at the dark forest. "Could've sworn...It's nothing, probably just an animal" she replied.

Edith turned back to the skirmish at hand and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched, unsure of how to bring it up to the group. Maybe she was just overreacting? It could of just been an animal like she'd told Krista, but by the look on the blonde's face, she didn't quite believe her either.

* * *

Edith sat atop a large boulder that overlooked not only the ravine, but several meters in front of her as well. Down below, her comrades were sawing logs wrapped up tight in their sleeping bags. Eren even seemed to be spooning Jean it was so cold. She would definitely be using that as blackmail later on.

Shivering against the cold, despite the saddle blanket that reeked of horse, wrapped around her, Edith let her gaze wander back over the forest cloaked in darkness, the only ones awake were her, the nocturnal animals and Krista, whom she had spotted nestled against one of the horses by the water's edge.

Try as she might, Edith hadn't been able to shake the feeling of being watched, even as the night wore on so she had volunteered to take first watch. First watch had turned into second watch and then third, until eventually she had sat here throughout the night, freezing her ass off as she watched over her friends as they slept.

She felt a surge of protectiveness wash over her. Once again, she thought about how young these kids were; sure she wasn't exactly an elderly herself, but still. It almost felt like she was watching over her younger siblings again. Gods, she missed them.

It only took a moment for Edith to close her eyes, wiping away the tears that had formed when she thought of her lost siblings. And a moment was all they needed. The footsteps she had stupidly written off as a passing animal, revealed themselves to be someone with a rifle digging into her shoulder blades.

"Don't move" the masculine voice rasped as she froze, her eyes drifting down to a small puddle by her feet. Thanks to the full moon igniting the forest in its glow, she was able to see that the figure behind her was a rather large man. He wore an everyday tunic and pants as well as a white sack with eye & nose holes cut out of it.

Off to her right, down in the ravine, she saw that her fellow cadets were being surrounded by men similarly dressed as this one. Each had rifle's in their hand and were holding them at gunpoint, demanding that they hand their ODM gear over, so they could be sold on the black market.

"Stand up" the man ordered, his rifle still digging into her back as she did as he ordered. Edith felt rather than saw the rifle leave her back for a few moments so that she could move down from the boulder.

Edith seized the moment. Thinking quickly, she clapped her hands together and transmuted her prosthetic into a lance which she used to run her attacker through as she spun on her heel, narrowly avoiding the rifle. There was a beat of silence before she removed her arm from the man's chest and he fell to the floor with a gurgle, where he twitched once or twice before death claimed him.

A yell of anguish sounded from behind her as she spun to face her new attacker. This man appeared shorter than the one at her feet, but was dressed in a similar fashion. However the bandit held no qualms of keeping quiet as he fired sporadically at her.

Quickly ducking behind the boulder, Edith clapped her left hand to her right shoulder as she tried to staunch the blood that was dripping from the wound. Thankfully, the bullet had only grazed her, bouncing off of the metallic socket of her prosthetic instead.

She clenched her teeth as she waited for the telltale click of an empty gun to meet her ears, before she launched herself over the boulder towards the bandit. Once more, she raised her lance-arm and swung it down on her attacker, cutting cleanly through his flesh as if it were made of butter.

The blasted rifle fell to the forest floor and his decapitated body followed soon after. Edith transmuted her prosthetic back to its original form and tried to wipe his blood from her face as much as possible, before her actions seemed to catch up with her.

Leaning over, with her hand on a tree she closed her eyes as sh expelled the small contents of her stomach onto the forest floor. Sina! She had just killed two men! Sure they had learnt about killing techniques and the after effects during training, but they weren't really expected to use them. Except maybe against Titans, but even then...

Standing upright, Edith coughed at the acidic taste in her mouth as she wiped away the trail of vomit from the corner of her mouth. Skirting the puddle and bodies on the ground she shakily made her way towards the voices of her comrades in front of her.

* * *

The unarmed cadets stood with their heads bowed as they listened to the wagon rattle away down the trail with not only their gear, but Krista as well. Eren stood at the head of the group, a large bruise blossoming on his cheek and shaking in anger & guilt over what had just happened. They should have done something!  _He_ should have done something!

"Everyone...if we attacked together, then we could do  _something!"_ He began, hands clenched at his side.

"That's your opinion" replied Jean, still upset about the graze on his cheek "I don't agree. Actually, because of  _your_  crazy behaviour  _everyone_  was in danger" There was a beat of silence as everything still seemed to seep in, before Armin spoke up after having done a head count.

"Where's Edith?" he asked.

"Huh?" replied Jean.

"She was on watch last. So where is she?"

"Yeah, actually where  _is_ she? She should've let us know when we were about to be attacked. Otherwise why bother having a lookout at all?" Jean complained as he crossed his arms and ignored the look Armin was sending him.

"I was busy Kirschtein" came Edith's voice as she stumbled from the undergrowth and came to a stop next to Eren "But thanks for the concern" Her tone was cold as she stood before them, arms crossed with blood splattered across her shirt and prosthetic arm. Edith watched as Jean and many of the other cadets paled at the sight of her, she knew she probably looked a right mess.

"Are you okay?" Armin asked as his eyes roved over her short stature. Next to her Eren clenched and unclenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as he did so.

"I'm fine. Most of it's not mine and a bullet just grazed me. Nothing to worry about" Edith replied calmly, "So what now?"

"...This exercise is over" muttered Marco, a look of resignation on his face.

"So we're just abandoning Krista?" Eren demanded, still not looking at the group.

"That's not it" Marco rushed out, "But with just us, we can't do anything. That's why, we should ask the instructor..."

"What if we don't make it? I won't accept this as it is! I'm gonna save Krista for sure! I'll do it alone if I have to!"

"Eren..." Armin muttered as Eren raced off, unable to look anyone in the eye as tears of anger glistened on his face.

Edith turned and watched Eren march off into the forest. That boy had a hero complex the size of Shiganshina; it was only a matter of time before it got him in trouble. "Eren!" Jean called as he raced off after Eren and grabbed onto him, preventing Eren from going any further, much to the surprised of everyone gathered.

"All of our horses are gone! How were you going to find her?" Jean demanded.

"It's none of your business!" Eren snapped.

"It is! I'm going with you!" That seemed to snap Eren out of his anger, the shock written clearly on his face as Jean continued. "I'm not going down without a fight"

Eren certainly seemed to be prepared to go about this rescue attempt alone, if the shock on his face was anything to go by when the rest of the group joined the two by the water's edge. "None of us are" Edith added. Determination was written across each and every face.

* * *

"In any case, how are we gonna find these guys? We might not make it even if we split up" Connie questioned.

"In that case, we'll just have to find a higher spot! When you get lost in the mountains, climb upwards. If you get lost in the forest, climb a tall tree.That's what my father told me" replied Sasha. It didn't take long for the group to round up what little supplies they had with them and haul ass up the nearest mountain. Once at a higher outcropping, many of the cadets sat down or bent over trying to catch their breath.

"Hey! Over there!" Jean pointed towards a pillar of smoke rising up through the canopy. Pulling out the collapsible telescope, Eren peered through and watched as the bandits packed up camp. 

"What do we do? We'll be too late at this rate" Eren asked as he passed the scope to Jean; who watched as Krista was loaded into one of the wagons and handcuffed to one of the bars holding the canvas roof on.

"They have rifles on them. We're gonna get shot" worried Marco.

"I have an idea" Armin piped up, before sliding down to join the others gathered around the map, "They're probably going to sell the stolen goods. If that's the case, they'll probably find a wide exit around this area. We'll ambush them before they get there"

"It'll be hard since we have no horses" Connie warned.

"It's possible, if there's a wide exit when we leave the forest" explained Sasha. The next thing Edith knew, they were skidding down the mountainside, supplies slung over their shoulders, ready to put their plan in motion.

* * *

Hiding in the canopy bordering the trail, Edith went over Armin's plan once more as they waited for the wagons to arrive  ** _"After clearing the forest, the road divides into two routes. One road goes to a wider exit and once they enter there, we don't stand a chance"_**

"They're here!" Edith called quietly as the two wagons came into view.

"Here goes!" cried Connie as he gripped tight to the rope tied to his tree, before taking a running start and swinging up to meet Sasha. Sasha gripped tight to her rope and leant out to grab onto Connie's hand before hauling him over the branch she was standing on. In doing so, the tree he had just been standing on fell forward, blocking the path.

**_"And if it all goes well? Which carriage are Krista and the ODM gear in? How can we tell?"_ **

**_"If we hear a rattling sound, we'll be able to tell. If the equipment is in the first carriage, I'll pull once. If it's the rear I'll pull twice. If both, I'll pull thrice"_ **

Down by the roadside, hidden from view, Marco and Armin lay waiting for the carriages arrival. Marco gripped tight to the rope in his hand, waiting to pull it when he needed to. The rope itself was attached to a branch up in the canopy; which in turn was tied to another tree and so on, all the way over to where Jean and Eren sat next to a couple of empty tin cans that were to act as cow bells when Marco pulled the rope.

As the wagons approached Marco closed his eyes, listening closely to the sounds of the wagons. As the last of the wagons passed, Marco snapped his eyes open and yanked hard on the rope once. The sound of the tin cans rattling together echoed throughout the forest as Eren and Jean leapt from the trees down into the wagons.

"Who the hell are you?!" demanded one of the bandits as Jean ducked his arms and tackled him out of the wagon before going for the driver next.

"You!" cried the second bandit as Eren tossed him to the floor before shoving him out of the wagon as well. Krista watched with wide eyes as the armed bandit next to her aimed for her friends in the following wagon.

As luck would have it, the wagon Eren and Jean occupied hit a rock, tossing everyone about. The bandit who fired the rifle, missed the boys completely as the driver was tossed to the road. The bullet in question then ricocheted off the following wagon and cut Krista down from the bar, where she landed in a heap on the wagon's floor.

"Damn! Next one won't miss!" grumbled the bandit as Krista leapt forward and grappled with him, her hands still bound.

"Krista!" Eren called, gripping tight to the box of ODM gear as Jean took the reins. The bandit fired again, trying to get Krista off of him and instead hit the following wagon's wheel, sending it crashing into a nearby tree.

"Are you all right?" Jean groaned as he pulled himself upright.

"Yeah, somehow" grunted Eren as got up.

"Jean! Eren!" called Connie as he and the others caught up to them.

"We're all right!" called Jean, "And so is the ODM gear"

"But they've still got Krista!" Eren added.

"After them!" Marco ordered, standing to his full height.

Once fully harnessed, the group launched themselves after the remaining wagon, hot on its trails like bats out of hell. "Sasha, do you have a signal flare?" Armin asked, another plan forming in his mind.

"Y-yeah I do..." she replied.

"Can I borrow it?" Armin launched the green signal flare into the sky, before following after the others.

* * *

"This bitch! I said quit it!" roared the armed bandit as he tossed Krista to the floor once more.

'Don't kill her! She's our bounty!" called the driver.

"So that's how it is. Thanks to your friends, we've lost our score! You'll have to take responsibility!" Krista stared down the barrel of the rifle as it remained trained on her and she watched as the bandit's finger twitched over the trigger, ready to be pulled. All of a sudden, an ODM hook fired into the opening of the wagon, knocking the rifle from the man's hands.

"Damn!" cursed the bandit as he pulled a second rifle from the floor and began firing at the cadets flying behind them. Eren and Jean found an opening and went for it, flying towards the wagon, twisting and turning to avoid the incoming bullets. Both pulled blades from their sheaths and zoomed forward, overcoming the wagon and swinging down on the harness that kept the horse and cart tied together.

Without its engine, the driver was forced to pull the break. The wheel sparking as the wagon went end over end before it came to a smokey stop at the base of the mountain. The group of cadets joined each other and made their way over to the upturned wagon, intent on freeing their friend when they all froze at the sight before them.

Krista was struggling against the tight grip on her as a blade was held to her throat. None dared to move, the crazy look in the bandit's eye saying more than he ever needed to. "Throw away your weapons!" demanded the elder bandit, rifle trained on the group, "Do as I say! Hand over the ODM gear! Hurry up!"

With clenched teeth and white knuckled fists, the cadets slowly began removing their gear, tossing their blades to the ground. Behind the group, Armin remained garbed in his gear, his eyes shining with hope were trained on something behind the bandits, something the others had yet to see.

"Shit! You've gotta be kidding me..." grumbled the bandit holding Krista, "How did this happen to me? Even if we run away from the Titans...What can you do out here where nothing can be risked?  _Don't burden others._ I should've taught my daughter that much..." Krista stared up at her captor, pity welling in her heart.

"Hurry up!" ordered the elder bandit just as two blurs swept into the clearing, knocking the rifle clean from the bandits hands. They each went for a bandit, their blades stopping millimetres from their jugulars as Krista shouted, "DON'T KILL HIM!"

"...I see" muttered Mikasa as she and Annie let the quivering men fall to their knees, a trail of blood falling down their necks from where the ODM blades had knocked them.

"Looks like you went through a lot of trouble" Annie commented, her gaze resting on Krista as the rest of the cadets joined the group.

* * *

**_In the end, the gang of thieves were arrested by the Military Police. Without taking any notable causalities, the incident was over. Although the exercise was suspended, we still had to submit out records of the incident, in all honesty and without pretence._ **

Armin stood before Shadis, saluting him as he read through the report. "May I ask a question?" Armin asked the serious man.

"What is it?" replied Shadis without looking up from the report.

"Should we have returned when our ODM gear was stolen? Or were we right in pursuing those thieves?"

"There's no need to answer that. But...whether you're a soldier or a civilian, we all decide how to respond in the face of distress. Return, go after the criminal...Which one is the most important in your opinion, Arlert?"

"T-That's..."

**_I couldn't answer it. Perhaps...meeting those thieves during the process...was imposed upon us as part of the exercise._ **

* * *

 

Edith sat on the steps of the infirmary, a mug of water wrapped in her hands as she stared out at the setting sun. To her right sat Krista who had been cleared of her check up and Ymir who refused to leave Krista's side.

Today had been an eye opening experience. Sure, the boys had a hero complex a mile long, but their hearts were in the right place. Jean clearly saw Eren as an annoying younger and vice versa, Sasha seemed to come alive in the forest as if she belonged there, Connie could be quick witted as well as fast, Marco had good instincts and Krista had more heart than any of them combined.

They were almost like a weird family. Marco could be the father, Jean & Eren were the brothers, Sasha was the fun aunt, Connie was the younger brother and Krista was the baby. Which left her as either the mother or the elder sister. The thought brought a smile to her face either way.

"What 'cha thinking about Ed?" Ymir asked with her arm wrapped around Krista.

"Not much"


	6. Ilse's Notebook: Notes from a Survey Corps Member

**_"We all become stories in the end, question is, will it be a good one?" - Edith M. Brown Diary, 849_ **

**49th Scout Regiment Expedition, 849  
** **Trost Gate**

**_In the year 845, due to the sudden appearance of the Colossal Titan and the Armoured Titan, our daily lives crumbled along with the wall. Humanity abandoned Wall Maria, lost 20% of its population, a third of its territory and were confined behind Wall Rose in one moment._ **

**_However, humanity had not lost to the Titans just yet. The Garrison was tasked with guarding the Walls, and young recruits were being trained in techniques and knowledge to fight the Titans. Around that time, the elite soldiers of the Scout Regiment were attempting once again. To set foot into Titan territory via the Trost District._ **

The bell tolled, warning the soldiers of what was to come. "THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL THE GATES ARE OPENED!" Commander Erwin Smith called out, "ALL PERSONNEL, PREPARE TO DEAPRT!"

"Geez! Im tired or waiting" whined Sergeant Zoe Hanji from her place in the formation, "Hey Levi-"

"No" interrupted the ravenette.

"I haven't even said anything yet"

"You want me to help you capture a Titan, right? That's a waste of effort. I'll have no part in it"

"What about you Mike? Want to have a go?" Hanji asked, turning to the blonde on her left.

"Hm"

"Ah, the same old boring answer from the same old boring men"

"The 49th expedition beyond the Walls begins now! Forward!" cried Erwin as the gates were raised and the corps thundered through with Hanji leading the charge despite Erwin's protests.

* * *

"Think about it Erwin!" Hanji demanded the Commander as her hands slammed down on the table between the two. The tent they stood within swayed in the breeze as the sergeant and the commander continued their one-sided argument, "I understand that setting up supply bases takes priority, but uncovering the true nature of the Titans has always been our primary objective! I'm sure you're aware of that!"

"Sarge...It's probably not a good idea to talk to the Commander in that tone-" Moblit tried to warn as Hanji mowed on, ignoring his pleas.

"We  _need_ to capture a Titan alive above anything else! I know it seems impossible. After all, the last time we took one alive was more than fifteen years ago, and more than twenty people died in order to pull it off. But we cannot get any intel if we are afraid of making sacrifices!"

"...So pay extra attention to our offence and defence" Erwin continued to talk to the captains either side of him whilst he half listened to the rantings of the woman in front of him.

"Understood" replied the soldier before he nodded and left to continued his duties.

"Do we really have to go through this again?" Erwin asked, finally turning to Hanji and giving her his full attention.

"We don't have the manpower to spare for a capture mission! Even getting this fat today cost us more than ten men"

"I know that, but-"

"Hanji. You're proposal is rejected" Erwin ended the conversation as he left, leaving Hanji to hurry after him.

"Hey! Wait, Erwin!" she called, stopping outside the entrance of the tent, hands falling to her sides.

"It's no use Hanji. We put our lives on the line just trying to kill the damn things. There's no way we can take one alive" crowed Oluo with his arms crossed as he stood outside the tent with the rest of his squad.

"Think about  _this,_ Oluo" whispered Hanji as she latched onto the front of his cloak and lifted him up into the air, "Let's say Levi's coming and he's dead set on killing you. What would you do? Can you fight him and survive?"

"Of...course not" Oluo rasped, his shirt choking him as he's heaved upwards, "Hey, I can't...breathe"

"Want me to tell you how you can win that fight? You do your homework. The place he works, the food he hates, his taste in women, the number of times he takes a piss...You find out everything you can about him. Once you know him, you can find a weakness that you can exploit. If you on't do that before you fight, you'll die for sure"

"Hanji!"

"Sarge! You're going too far!" came the protests from Petra and Moblit. Hanji merely smirked before releasing Oluo who tumbled to the ground and lay in a heap as he tried to regain his breathing.

"Ah, my bad. But you get my point, right?" she replied, walking off as if she hadn't just chosen a man.

"Fuck! She damn near killed me" complained Oluo as he rubbed his sore throat, "That bitch is insane! She belongs in a nuthouse"

"Y'know, you're part of the Scouts, so you could do something about that barbaric way of speaking?" scolded Petra, hands on hips as she looked down on her teammate.

"Huh? Why do  _I_ get the lecture?"

"Petra! Are you done with the restocking?" Eld called as he came up the steps towards the two.

"Y-yes, Eld! I'm almost done!" she replied stumbling over her words a little.

* * *

Atop the roof of one of the houses still standing, stood Mike watching out over the land as he nibbled on the bland ration bar in his hand. Taking a couple of sniffs, he trotted over to the edge of the roof, overlooking the forest and watched for what belonged to that horrible scent.

Fingering the signal flare, he waited until one of the pines fell and disturbed a couple of birds, before firing the red signal flare into the air. "THERE'S MOVEMENT IN THE FOREST!" he called, "ALL PERSONNEL, PREPARE FOR COMBAT!"

"Sarge! It's too dangerous to go alone!" Moblit cried as Hanji launched herself into the saddle of a nearby horse and straight towards the forest, ignoring any protests.

"Erwin! I'm going ahead!" she called as she passed by.

"Levi!" Erwin ordered.

"Tch! That idiot!" hissed the short captain before racing out after Hanji.

* * *

Racing through the forest, it didn't take long for Hanji to find the Titan. "Oh, found ya!" she cried cheerily as she rode passed, "Hey there! Nice weather we're having, eh?...That's good. Say once we're done with our walk, wanna come inside the Wall with me? What'd ya say? she asked the Titan lumbering right behind her as it made a grab for the horse.

Thankfully the horse did as it was trained to do and moved out of the way just in time. Despite this, Hanji continued talking to the Titan as if was a child; at least until it ran face first into a tree. "That was close!...Oh no! Are you okay? Follow me! 'Atta boy!"

Suddenly a red signal flare flew across the Titan's vision, drawing a line between Hanji and the giant. "This way, moron" scolded Levi, now joined by his squad.

"Hey! Stay out of my way!" Hanji complained looking over her shoulder at the newcomers, "That's the way! Keep it up!" called Hanji as the Titan continued to follow her.

Suddenly, the Titan halted in its pursuit. Glancing around at its surroundings, the Titan returned back to the forest, this time with Hanji and Levi's squad following after it. "Hey, where are you going?"

"What's that shit-head up to? Is it running back home?" Oluo asked as the squad rode after Hanji and the Titan.

"Even if it's an Abnormal, there's something strange about this" added Petra.

"Yeah, its movement patterns are like nothing that has ever been reported" Eld said.

"No, they're called  _'Abnormals'_ for a reason, right?"

"I couldn't care less. We're taking it down here" interjected Levi as he bared his blades.

* * *

"Hey! Wait up!" called Hanji as she wove in and out of the trees, trying to catch up to the Titan who was now hell bent on leaving them behind.  _Is it heading towards a specific place?_ Hanji wondered,  _Even if it is an Abnormal, can a Titan do something like that?_

The duo came to a halt inside a small clearing dotted with white daisies. In the centre of the clearing stood a large pine tree that the Titan stood stone still in front of. All of a sudden, it began to beat its head against the trunk of the tree repeatedly, as if it were punishing itself.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Hanji asked as she dismounted and unsheathed a blade just in case, "Is this the place you wanted to go?" Using the ODM gear, Hanji was able to launch herself up onto one of the branches in the tree, away from the Titan that had suddenly turned on her. "Whoa! That was close!"

Landing quietly on the forest floor, Hanji crept closer to the grumbling Titan, whispering to it al the while, "What is it? What's wrong? I'll hear you out" The calmness the Titan was wrapped in, shattered at once when Oluo hooked himself to the back on the Titan's neck and came in for the kill.

"No! Oluo, don't do it!" Hanji cried causing Oluo to hesitate and in that moment, the Titan swung around and grabbed onto the flailing man. One moment he was heading head first into the Titan's mouth, the next he was free falling towards the earth as the arm he was clutched in, was cut free from the rest of the body.

Levi twisted in the air, pausing momentarily to realign himself before he went in for the kill. Landing on the forest floor, he quickly pulled out a handkerchief and cleaned the steaming Titan blood off of his blade as he looked down at his weeping teammate.

"Are you okay?" he asked the man laying in the open Titan hand.

"Captain...Thank you so much!" Oluo cried, snot mixing with tears.

Off to the side, Hanji was still trying to come to terms with what had just happened. "This child was to be...an important specimen. If we could've captured him, humanity might've taken the next step forward" Hanji rambled as she watched Titan go up in smoke.

"Shut up, you four-eyed bitch!" snapped Levi as he marched over and pulled her up to his face, "If you wanna end up as Titan shit, I won't stop you. But don't you dare endanger the lives of my men!"

Hanji blinked a few times before replying, "Titans don't defecate. They don't have a digestive system" Levi just shoved her back to the ground.

"...Ah, Captain?" Petra called, her eyes locked on the pine tree across the clearing.

"What is it?" Levi asked, his tone much calmer.

"Did a Titan do that?" She asked, clasping her hands to her chest, "But...It  _can't_ be..."

"What are you talking about?"

Petra merely pointed towards the pine tree where a headless skeleton garbed in the Scout's gear could be seen sitting within the large hollow.

Peering inside the hollow, Hanji moved the cloak aside to inspect the uniform. "The emblem from the 34th expedition..." she mumbled, her voice echoing around her, "This soldier died a year ago. The soldier's names was...let's see...Ilse Languar" said Hanji as she read the dog tags hanging around the skeleton's neck, "I can't believe it. Why would a Titan do such...Levi, what's that?" she asked as she turned to come back down again.

Back on the ground, Levi was flipping through an old tattered notebook, his eyes never leaving the delicate pages. "It's the fruit of Ilse Langnar's labour"

* * *

_My name is Ilse Langnar. I am part of the 34th expedition beyond the Walls, Second battalion, in charge of perimeter defence. On our way back, we encountered some Titans. I lost everyone in my squad, even my horse._

_My ODM gear was damaged, so I had to leave it behind. I am running due north. I have lost my horse in the lands ruled by the Titans. No human can outrun a Titan on foot. I have no comrades to rely on, my chances of returning to the Walls are despairingly low._

_However, if I avoid contact with the Titans, I might be able to reach the Walls. That's right. Right now, I must not give into fear. I have been prepared for this scenario since the day I joined the Scout Regiment._

_I am the wings of humanity, making its last stand. I am a member of the Scouts! I will fight to the end, even if I end up dying! I have no weapons, but I can still fight! I will record my experiences on this paper, and do everything I can! I will not give up!_

_I have encountered a Titan, it's a seven-no, six-metre class. It didn't attack me right away. Is it an Abnormal? This is the end of the line. This is as far as I go, I have lived a whimsical life. I haven't done anything for my parents yet! I feel sick! The end._

_It just spoke. The Titan just spoke. No way. The Titan is speaking words that I can understand, "Ymir's People" "Lady Ymir" "Welcome" There's no doubt. This Titan is showing facial expressions, it appears to be showing respect to me. I can't believe it! For the first time in humanity's history, I'm...conversing with a Titan?!_

_I asked this Titan about its nature. Instead of talking, it's moaning. I asked for a location, he didn't respond. I asked him for a motive._

_He has me between his teeth. I can feel his teeth upon my skull, like the pressure of a-_

* * *

****Hanji sat back in her chair with a sigh as she thought over what she had just read. This dainty little notebook could be the very thing that helped her further her research into the Titans. Or it could be the reason the project is shut down before it begins. Leaning forward over the desk once more, Hanji pulled out a quill and paper and began yet another project proposal to Erwin.

_Mr Erwin Smith,_

_I write this letter in regards to_ _Subject: Resumption of Attempts to Capture Live Titans by the Scout Regiment._ _A glance through the enclosed notebook makes one thing clear, we are still completely ignorant about Titans, I would say._

_The Titan that Ilse Langnar met spoke a recognisable language, and appeared to show her respect. Also, instead of consuming her body, the Titan stored it inside a tree hollow. This seems to be a reasonable assumption. Although, this is obvious, such a case is a first in all history of mankind._

_We have a responsibility to make use of the information Ilse gave us, recording everything down even in her last moments of her life. We cannot let the effort she put in toward finding some truth behind the Titans go to waste._

_We_ ** _have_**   _to continue it. No matter how little intel we gain from such missions, it will not be in vain. I firmly believe that it will play an important part in humanity's fight against the Titans._

_Sergeant of the Second Squad,_

_Zoe Hanji_

* * *

Stepping outside the Langnar home, Hanji came to a stop, surprise written on her face as she saw Squad Levi on the doorstep with sacks of supplies slung over their shoulders. Oluo stood at the head as he begged for her forgiveness with his captain watching over. Clearly he had been pushed to do this.

"Um Hanji?" Oluo stuttered clutching to the sack tied around his shoulders.

"You followed me here?" Hanji demanded, hands on hips, "Can't say I appreciate your manners"

"...I'm sorry about last time. If not for my mistake, we might have captured it and it might have helped mankind. If I have to give my life for that, it's not too high of a price-"

"No, I am the one who should apologise" stated Hanji as she leapt forward and latched onto his lapels, lifting him closer to her face, "I nearly got you killed. I'm so sorry. But  _never_ say that your life is cheap again. Understand?"

Hanji glanced up at the man when she received no reply to see the Oluo had not only bit his tongue hard enough to make it bleed, but he was slowly turn blue as well. Her grip on his shirt being far too tight.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hanji demanded as she dropped him on his ass, "Oluo? What the hell are you doing?"

"By the way, Erwin has come to a decision" Levi stated as the group made their way back to base.

"I see" Hanji muttered, "Hooray!" she cheered, scaring the crap out of Oluo who flinched into Petra at the sudden movement.

**_Twenty days later, Sergeant Hanji gained the support of the Special Operations Squad led by Captain Levi, and succeeded in organising the first ever expedition beyond Wall Maria to capture a Titan._ **

**_For that mission, a new method of capture proposed by Sergeant Hanji was used, and not a single human life was lost._ **


	7. A Sudden Visitor: The Torturous Curse of Adolescence

**_"...They're the people that have to put up with your shit and still love you. That's family"_ ** **_\- Edith M. Brown Diary, 849_ **

**Spring 849,  
** **Trost District**

**_Fog hung low over the district as morning broke on this new day. A day like any other, that is, except for one. On that day, the boy remembered with fear...that he was subject to their dominance... And recalled with shame that the walls around him were a cage._ **

Charcoal dusted hands, furiously darted across the parchment as an image started to form. The apple of his eye, who wouldn't even look his way. The sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, ignored as he became lost in his art.

At the same time the door swung open, hitting the bookshelf with a bang, Jean rolled himself up in his blanket hiding himself and the items on his bed from his mother. "How many times do I have to call you?! It's lunchtime!" his mother demanded, pan in hand as she continued to cook lunch.

"Knock first, you old hag!" Jean snapped back, "What'd you bring that in here for?!"

"Even when I yell, you refuse to come down, so the omelette came up to tell you itself"

"Just get out, you withered old witch!" Jean cried as he leapt from him bed and shoved his mother out of the room, slamming the door in her face with the picture he had been working on scrunched up in his hand.

Unravelling the wrinkled piece of paper, Jean stared down at the ruined image before tearing it into smaller pieces and throwing them up into the air with a curse.  _I_ ** _will_** _join the Military Police and achieve my goal!_ Jean thought as he overlooked the view of the district from his bedroom window.  _My goal of securing an easy, danger-free life behind the innermost wall...I_ ** _will_** _achieve it!_

* * *

**_Titan Training Exercise, 849_ **

**_Trost District_ **

**_Spurred on by his dream, the boy left home and survived the gruelling military training. Humiliation after humiliation only served to fuel his fire and two years later, the boy returned to the cage he'd once escaped from._ **

"This is awesome! This is the first time I've been inside one of the walled cities!" Connie cheered, gripping tight to the straps on his pack as the 104th cadet corps traipsed through the city on their way to the meeting point.

"There'll be lots of tasty food to eat!" Sasha added excitedly. She wasn't the only one, many of the cadets were watching their surroundings with awe and excitement.

All except one. Jean Kirschstein walked down the familiar streets with a look of boredom on his face. He had joined to military to get away from this place, and yet here he was, back at square one.

"Hey, you lot" Jean called, listening to the conversation in front of him.

"Huh?" Connie and Sasha chorused as they peeked over their shoulders at the teen behind them.

"If you join the City Guard, you can stay here as long as you like. I'll even come visit and see how you're doing when I'm in the Military Police" Jean laughed at their annoyed expressions.

"Hey...Where exactly is your house, Jean?" Armin asked curious, as Jean hadn't really said much about his home life. Not that any of them really had, but still.

"Does it matter?" Jean asked, the jovial tone abruptly gone as he answered the question.

"Aren't you going to pop home?" Marco asked, oblivious to Jean's feelings about the subject, "Thomas said he was going to"

"You're mum will be happy to see you" Armin added.

"Shut it, you two!" Jean snapped, "Just drop it!"

"...What about you, Edith?" Marco asked the quiet girl.

"Hm? I don't know, I might go see how Gus is doing, but other than that..." she replied absentmindedly.

"Oh! Gus! Is this some new boy toy?" Sasha teased spinning around to face the quartet behind her.

"What? No!" Edith replied, blushing red at the insinuation. Sasha just laughed as she turned back around to the front and continued chatting with Connie. Edith continued on in embarrassed silence as she thought of what was to come.

**_Listen closely, you pigs! Training for the anticipated attack on Trost will take place shortly. The commanding officer of the southern region, Commander Pixis, will also be in attendance. Show him how you farmyard pigs have transformed into soldiers over the last two years!_ **

* * *

With the tolling of the district bell, the cadets stationed on the roofs leapt forward towards the wooden Titans stationed throughout the city. Sure the stationary targets were nothing compared to the real things, but they gave a good template for height and the foam nape helped to teach cadets where you had to hit, to kill them.

Down below, the Garrison soldiers ordered the citizens to evacuate calmly and obey the instructions given. Up on the rooftops, the groups of cadets raced towards the Titan targets set up throughout the city. Edith ran along side Annie, Jean and Armin, blades at the ready as they charged towards the wooden targets.

"Jean! Are you sure we're allowed to push up this far?" Armin called out to Jean who ran ahead, "Our objective is to deal with the Titans that make it through the front line-"

"Stop being so inflexible!" Jean called back, "We're soldiers, which means we kill Titans!"

"All you want to do is score more brownie points" Annie grumbled as the quartet launched themselves from the rooftop towards the nearest wooden Titan.

* * *

"Commander, the 21st Squad has left their post" The Garrison soldier reported looking down at the cadets through the telescope, when she received no reply, she looked up to see Commander Pixis snoring away with his arms crossed and reeking of alcohol.

Getting to her feet, the soldier leant into Pixis' ear and shouted him awake."Commander? Commander!"

"Wha-? Is it already time to eat?" Pixis mumbled as he woke.

"You only had lunch a little while ago" the soldier reminded him as she knocked the small flask from his hands and went to stand by her comrade over by the wall-mounted canon.

"He should take this more seriously" she grumbled, shoving the flask into the front pocket of her jacket.

"Well, for him, this counts as downtime" her comrade replied as they watched Pixis pull a second flask from his jacket and took a swig from it.

"I wonder what we're having for dinner..." Pixis mumbled, his face flushed as he watched over the training exercise.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Edith's group came upon their first Titan with Jean at the helm and Edith at the rear; another group began to close in as well.  _There's one..._ Jean thought as he came upon the Titan.

"He's mine!" Jean called slinging himself forward, ready to slice through its nape when a blur passed through his eye line and got to the Titan first. It was Mikasa. Had it been anyone else, he would have chewed their head off for taking his kill. But Jean had been harbouring a not-so subtle crush on Mikasa since he'd met her.  _As amazing as always_ Jean thought,  _You're the only one who can outmanoeuvre me._

"Guys! This way!" Jean called as he took a hard right around the closest villa, the squad following close behind.  _I'll get one this time!_

"As always, thank you Jean!" Connie called as he dropped down from Jean's right and slashed through the Titan's nape as Sasha and Reiner got the other two.

"Sorry Jean" Reiner apologised as he landed on a nearby roof and Sasha cheered from the Titan she had alighted on.

Edith stood next to Armin on a neighbouring rooftop with a frown on her face. She knew that today was important, not only to prepare them for any possible future catastrophes but also because Commander Pixis was watching over the exercise and a good word from him was bound to get you into the corps of your choosing.

She also knew that as a field medic she was unlikely to get in as many hits as the others, but she thought for sure that she'd get at least a couple of hits in. Instead it looked like she might have to do damage control if Jean's angered face was anything to go by.

"You've gotten better!" Connie called to Sasha as he flew overhead.

"I've always been this good" she replied.

"But you're still no match for me!"

* * *

"That was playing dirty, you thieving bastards!" Jean shouted at Sasha and Connie who sat against a wall as the cadets broke for lunch.

"Huh?" Connie muttered around a mouthful of baked potato.

"I spotted them first!"

Off to the side, Edith stood chewing on a piece of crystallised ginger, the rest of the bag shoved in the medi-pack on her hips along with rolls of bandages and thread. This was going to be a bad one. Jean had always been hot-headed, but he usually took it out on Eren (which everyone was fine with as they wore each other out). It seems being back on his home turf had riled him up instead of calming him down. So much for home-field advantage.

"Playing dirty?" Sasha questioned smugly, "Jean, you sure come up with some baloney. You think there's an etiquette when it comes to hunting?"

"Don't lay your hunter logic on me, Potato Girl" Jean retorted.

"Potato Girl?! I thought everyone had forgotten about that...Don't call me names!"

"Yeah! Apologise to her!" Connie agreed as the two leapt to their feet and faced off with the taller cadet.

"For starters, that whole area was in our zone" Reiner added, joining the conversation.

"Yeah! Exactly!" Connie agreed, "Y'know, you're acting kinda weird today, shouting out of the blue like that. Are you itching to go see Mummy?" he teased.

"Is that it?" Sasha genuinely asked.

"As if!" Jean retorted swinging his fist towards the two.

"That's enough you two!" Reiner interrupted as Sasha and Connie took up stances to defend themselves, "You too, Jean. You won't make Military Police like this"

"When we finish up our training tomorrow, we'll see who can take out more targets" Jean snapped, letting his fist fall back to his side.

"Interesting" commented Pixis, appearing next to the group as the cadets quickly responded with salutes and Pixis wandered down the street before coming to a halt next to Jean, Sasha and Connie. "I'll adjudicate. Your fighting spirit is certainly commendable. However, using a training exercise to win an argument is unacceptable"

He paused to take a swig from his flask before he continued, "You'll fight by cooking"

"Pardon?" the trio chorused, confusion written on their faces.

 _Well, that took a turn._ Edith thought as she watched the situation unfold.

"Fight by cooking!" Pixis repeated, his face flushed.

"Huh?"

"Cooking?!" Sasha repeated with her hands clasped to her chest, a look of awe on her face.

"That's right, cooking. A cook-off!"

"A cook-off?!"

"Why cooking of all things? I should've confiscated that hip flask sooner" The Garrison soldier mumbled from behind Pixis.

"I-I don't mean to be rude, Commander Pixis, but we're soldiers. Cooking isn't in our-" Jean spoke up.  _That boy's got balls._ Edith thought as she watched Jean speak out against the southern region Commander.

"Jean! How much do you even know about cooking?" Sasha interjected, shoving her cooling potato into his face. Decorum completely gone out the window as she defended her favourite pastime.

Not that Edith would complain, Sasha almost always had some sort snack that she'd sneak out of the officers pantry that she shared around the cabin. Some jerky here, some cheese there. The girl was a genius with food and the boys still had no idea. Except for maybe Connie, Sasha had a soft spot for him. Edith and few of the others had a bet to see how long it would take for them to get together; Edith had her money on late 20s.

"Exactly! I bet your mum always cooked for you at home!" Connie added.

"Jean, my boy, I will teach you the true art of cooking" Sasha challenged as she took a bite of her potato. Jean clenched his hands into white knuckled fists as he accepted the challenge.

"FINE! LET'S DO THIS! COOKING, CLEANING...THROWING WHAT YOU LIKE AT ME. IF I WIN, YOU GOTTA STAY OUTTA MY WAY, POTATO GIRL!"

"GOOD! THE BATTLE WILL TAKE PLACE TONIGHT. BOTH OF YOU WILL COOK AND SERVE A MAIN COURSE FOR DINNER. BRING YOUR BEST DISH TO THE TABLE!"

* * *

"All right! It's in sight!" Jean called as he raced ahead of the others.

"Why are we hunting out here?" Annie asked from Edith's right, a rifle slung over her shoulders.

"Not much we can do, Annie. We have to work as a squad" Armin replied from the other side of Annie.

"I used to play in that forest as a kid. It's where the infamous Colossal Boar lives" Jean explained, "If we capture it and serve it up, victory will be ours"

"What about practicing your cooking techniques?" Armin asked.

"I don't have time to think about that!"

"You do know this is a  _cooking_ completion, right?" Edith questioned.

"Well, isn't this a coincidence?" Sasha called as her squad pulled up alongside the others.

"You guys...why?!" Jean demanded as Sasha's squad pulled ahead.

"Sasha's nose caught the scent of prime meant. She's like a bloodhound!" Connie replied.

"I'm not just gonna let you take all the meat for yourself! Hyah!" Sasha cried as her quiver jostled on her back as she rode on.

"Dammit!" Jean cursed.

"Let's go Jean! This is your backyard, right?" Armin called, "We have the upper hand!"

* * *

"Jean, we're lost, aren't we?" Edith asked as she stumbled over yet another root covering the forest floor. They had continued on through the undergrowth on foot, having left their horses tied to a couple of trees near the boundary.

"No"

"But I swear we've passed that-"

"No, we haven't!"

"Sina! I was just asking"

"Look! This tree, you might've seen a mark like this earlier. But we're definitely closing in on it"

"He has no idea what he's doing, does he?" Edith muttered to Armin and Annie who watched on with an annoyed look on his face.

* * *

"Hey now...We're not going to find it by just wandering around" Reiner spoke up, "I'd understand if there was snow, but tracking footprints in the mud? We'd need four or five days at least..."

"Hey, look! There it is Connie" Sasha cried as she and Connie squatted down next to a huge turd and began poking it with a stick"

"It's massive" Connie breathed. Reiner watched on in surprise.

"Yes. It's beast, all right. Fresh too. Its den must be nearby"

"You guys just got lucky" said Reiner, "But you won't be able to find the boar so easi-"

"There it is!" Sasha called from her vantage point on the outcropping, next to Connie.

Down below, the large boar lay sleeping, unaware of the hunters who had locked onto it. "That's one  _big_ hog" Connie breathed in awe.

"You said it. It's probably a colossal class" replied Sasha, her eyes never leaving the boar in front of her.

"Right...we're going home. That thing's uncatchable" Reiner decided as he turned and began to make his way back to where the horses were tied. Sasha quickly over and cut Reiner off, she didn't think twice about slapping him across the face and then followed through with an elbow to the head.

"How can you say that?!" Sasha demanded, "That makes me so sad! What would your ancestors think? The world is connected, you know!" she cried, covering her face with her hands and Reiner picked himself off of the forest floor.

"I'm sorry, Sasha. I haven't a clue what you're talking about, but I was in the wrong" Reiner apologised.

"Well, if you get it, we're good. Now! Hunt the meat!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Reiner saluted Sasha.

"Uh, g-guys?" Connie called out to the others, his voice trembling slightly as he did so. Spinning around, the duo pulled their weapons from their back.

"Let's do this, Sasha!" said Reiner.

"Right!"

"You take the first shot!"

"Okay!" Sasha called as she ran forward, an arrow nocked with Connie at her side as they hooked their ODM gear into the boar, flying behind the hog like odd little flags.

"Boar meat! Boar steaks! Boar sausages!" Sasha sang as she pulled herself upright, ignoring Armin's attempts to bribe her away from the hog with potatoes.

Jean's squad had appeared rather suddenly, no doubt drawn over by the commotion Sasha's squad and the hog was creating. "So many ways to cook it! The best foodstuff in the world! I'm talking about...m-e-a-t!" Sasha roared as she leapt from the boar's back, pulled the bow string taut and fired hitting the boar square in the forehead.

The single arrow felled the giant boar much to the surprise of the others. Sasha sure knew what she was doing. Edith knew that Jean wouldn't take this well, the fact that his face was already burning red signalled that he would definitely blow a gasket soon. Not to mention, knowing Connie and Sasha, there would be much fanfare as they brought the boar back into town.

* * *

That night, Edith forewent dinner at the mess hall instead heading over to  _The Old Maid_  (one of the local bars), to meet up with Augusta and a couple of friends for drinks and dinner. That evening, she had swapped her cadet uniform for a tan blouse, a dirt brown waistcoat and a dark brown skirt, paired with her uniform boots.

Weaving her way through the crowd of tipsy and drunk bar goers, Edith passed the Garrison soldiers that commandeered several tables off to the side as they drank and leered at women nearby, thankfully they were mostly drowned out by the small band in the corner. Although, they'd probably be trouble later on.

Taking a right at the table occupied by a group of Survey Corps members, she arrived at the table where Gus and a few others sat. A couple of the faces she recognised from earlier introductions and a couple she didn't. Everyone was garbed in casual wear, most of it seemed to be of better quality, showing their heritage within the interior. "Eddie! Over here!" Klaus Grune called, waving his arm in the air as he stood up.

The tall ginger wore a loose and silly grin as he embraced the short girl, his breath reeking of the alcohol he had already consumed. Next to him, a similar looking man-his twin brother, sat lounging with his feet on the table, both were garbed in loose tunics and dark pants that cupped their asses in the just the right way.

"It's good to see you, Klaus" Edith laughed as she hugged the taller man, "You too, Noah"

"What? No sugar for me?" Augusta laughed, her face already flushed pink.

"There's always sugar for you, Gus" Edith laughed as she hugged her friend tight. A wolf-whistle sounded from across the table and Gus just flipped off the blonde as she let go of Eddie and sat back down. "Eddie, this is Frankie and Joe. Boys, this is Eddie" Gus introduced, gesturing to the bearded blonde and fresh-shaven brunette respectively.

"Nice to meet 'cha!" Eddie said as she shook their hands, their's easily dwarfing her own, "So what are we drinking?"

"What's your poison?" Joe fired back quickly as he poured her a glass of mead from the jug and handed it to her. Edith wasted no time in chugging down the drink, welcoming the warm buzz that wafted over her as she did so.

"Hit me" Edith stated as she placed her empty mug down on the table in front of her. Glancing up, she grinned at the surprised looks on the mens' faces as Gus laughed, "What? Never seen a lady drink before?"

"Oh I like you!" Joe cheered as the drinks began to flow. There was no doubt in her mind that Eddie would regret this tomorrow, but for now she enjoyed the company.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Trost city training camp, Jean sat tucked away in a small alcove reading over the note that had come with the package his mother had brought for him. He hadn't taken it at first, instead shaming her in front of the other cadets. He should've gone home earlier, at least then he wouldn't have been embarrassed in front of the others.

He had been on his way to steal some beef from the officer's pantry, after the failed attempts of Armin and Annie. He had no idea where Edith had wandered off to, he'd have to ask her later. That was the plan anyway, until Eren had cornered him by the doorway to the pantry and had given him a reality check. Stating outright that he really should be more grateful for what he's got.

Reading over the note again, he could almost hear his mother's voice as he did so and couldn't help think that maybe Eren was right. Something he would never admit aloud.

_Dear Jeanie-boy,_

__Please enjoy the food and carry on working hard. Don't be a burden on others, you hear?_ _

__Love,_ _ __Mum_ _

Opening the package in his lap, allowed for the smells trapped inside to waft out and envelop him its flavours. Unbidden, memories of his childhood flew across his vision as he stared down at the omelette in his lap.

**_"Om-e-lette! Om-e-lette!" a young Jean cheered as he sat at the table, watching his mother as she cooked his food.  
_ ** **_"Here we go" His mother sighed as she set the plate down in front of hime, "You really love your omelettes, don't you Jeanie-boy?"_ **

**_An older Jean stood in the doorway of his home, his clothes were torn and dirty as he wailed. "I can't understand you if you just stand there and cry, can I, Jeanie-Boy?" his mother questioned as she bent down and clasped his head in her hands, wiping away his tears, "Now what happened?"_ **

**_A young teenage Jean carried a tray of food into his mother's room where she lay sick in bed. "How are you? Do you think you can eat?" he asked as he gently set the tray down in his mother's lap.  
_ ** **_"Thank you" his mother tiredly replied, "You really are a sweet kid"_ **

"Mum..." Jean whispered, as he continued to stare at the uneaten food in his lap. Mind made up, he returned to kitchens and began to furiously whip up the meal he would serve to the Commander. Next to him Connie and Reiner helped chop the vegetables for Sasha, who was cooking the boar meat over the roaring fire.

* * *

Jean had always thought that standing up to a Titan would be nerve-racking, but at this point in time he would've taken it over standing on stage in front of the 104th cadet corps with his omelette in front of him. A meal that held so much meaning for him, if the Commander didn't like it...he didn't know what he'd do.

Armin and Annie stood on either side of him, each silent sentinels supporting him in this competition. Across from the trio, stood Sasha with Reiner and Connie on either side of her, each wearing varying looks of smugness on their faces.

"It looks like you've both brought your A-game to this contest" Pixis commented from his seat at the table in the centre of the stage, a glass of red wine placed in front him to accompany the dishes.

"We will now commence the cook-off between

"WE WILL NOW COMMENCE THE COOK-OFF BETWEEN 104TH SQUAD MEMBERS, JEAN KIRSCHSTEIN AND SASHA BLOUSE!" Shadis yelled much to the delight of the cadets gathered.

"THE FIRST DISH: SASHA BLOUSE!"

"Sir!" Sasha replied, placing her dish in front of the Commander. Lifting the lid, the delicious smell of cooked meat wafted out and many in the crowd began to drool at the size of the steak the Commander had been served.

"All right..." Pixis began as he cut into the tender meat. He barely swallowed the slice of meat before his eyes bulged and his thoughts exploded,  _THIS BOAR MEAT! SUCCULENT BOAR MEAT! IT'S AWE-INSPIRING! THE TEXTURE IS MAGNIFICENT! THE MORE I CHEW, THE TASTIER IT GETS! THE WINE MASKS THE PUNGENCY OF THE BEAST AND ALL THAT REMAINS IS THE SWEETNESS OF THE MEAT! I've never...tasted wine...this good..._

The Commander was brought out of his trance when Jean placed his smaller dish in front of the Commander. There were no theatrics involved when the lid was lifted to reveal a small omelette. It almost seemed dismal in compared to the steak.

"Well, isn't this a cute little thing?" Pixis commented, utensils at the ready.

"Please, have a taste" Jean replied. There was no reply as the Commander ate the entire omelette and wiped his mouth when he had finished.

"The commander isn't saying anything" Connie muttered.

"That means the victory is ours!" Reiner added.

"There's nothing in the whole wide world that tastes better than meat!" Sasha crowed.

"And now, my decision" Pixis stated as he stood, staring out at the cadets before him. "The winner of this contest is...Jean Kirschstein!" Jean couldn't believe it, he'd won. Apparently, neither could Sasha as she slammed her hands down on the table in front of the Commander, demanding he tell her why she lost.

"Listen rookie, what exactly  _is_  meat?" he asked.

"Meat is meat" Sasha replied, confused at the question.

"Exactly. Meat is meat. It is nothing more, nothing less. Meat is simply...meat. That is why you lost"

"I was such a fool!" Sasha cried as she sank to floor, "I completely overlooked the carrots and potatoes I've relied on up till now. I tried to win by simply roasting the meat!"

"There's no need to be embarrassed" Jean stated as he held out a hand to help the crying girl up, "You aren't the only one who just roasted their dish"

"I'm sorry Jean"

"It's fine"

* * *

"Sir, why did the omelette win?" a Garrison soldier asked Pixis as they walked down the hallway.

"When you eat late at night like that it leaves you feeling bloated. Though, something about that omelette...Taste aside, it was a perfect late night snack"

* * *

The moon hung high in the sky when Hanji's conversation was interrupted by the commotion in the corner. Loud guffaws and whistles could be heard as several members of the bar danced and spun wildly to polka music that band had begun to play.

Looking over the rim of her mug, she recognised one of the younger patrons. "Well, what'd ya know! It's Brown!" she commented to no one in particular.

"Who?" Petra asked from her right. Hanji had joined Levi's squad for drinks tonight, not sure what they were celebrating though. Maybe another successful expedition? Who knew, what she did know was that, Petra had somehow managed to wrangle the OCD captain into joining them and for that Petra was her new favourite person.

"You see that midget dancing with the blonde giant?" Hanji said pointing towards said girl as she and her partner spun around the dance floor like children, joy clearing written on their flushed faces.

"Yeah?"

"That's Edith Brown, she's one of the cadets in the medic programme. Apparently she's got 'magic hands"

"H-Hanji!" Eld spluttered as he choked on his drink, having joined the conversation at the wrong time.

"Norfolk's words, not mine" Hanji excused taking a swig of her drink, "Wonder what she's doing in the city?"

"The cadets had a training exercise here today" Petra supplied.

"Mm"

* * *

There was a beat of silence as the band ended the song and moved onto another, lowering the noise in the pub ever so slightly. By this point the party over in the corner had begun to break up, leaving Edith to trail after the others as they stumbled their way out the door.

Suddenly, a meaty hand shot out and grabbed onto Gus, pulling the short brunette towards its owner. Edith stopped in her tracks as she latched onto Gus' other wrist and pulled hard. The other person hadn't been expecting that and Gus had come flying back at her, tripping over the chairs next to her as she tried to regain some of her balance.

"What are you doing, you bitch?!" the tall Garrison soldier roared at her. Edith had to tilt her head back to look the meaty man in the eye. He reminded her very much of the boar the cadets had tried to hunt that afternoon.

"What was that for?" she calmly asked him, foolishly placing herself between Gus and the pissed soldier.

"That twink's gonna finish the job!"

"...You think she's a twink?" Edith tilted her head to the side, similar to that of a dog.

"She gave me blue balls!"

Edith paused for a moment, before sending a mean right hook straight for the man's crotch. "Now they're black and blue balls" she chirped as the tall man fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes, clutching his groin and groaning in pain. Spinning on her heel, she haphazardly skipped over to Gus who was still struggling to get up.

* * *

The sudden shout from one of the Garrison soldiers drew the attention of the Survey members once more. Cadet Brown appeared to be squaring off against the soldier who was at least a good foot or so taller than her.

"She looks like she'd get crushed, she's so tiny!" Petra gushed, tipsy.

"She seems to be handling it" Eld replied as the group watched this tiny cadet take on the giant Garrison soldier. The argument escalated quickly and the next thing they knew, the giant soldier was on the floor clutching his groin.

Brown happily stumbled away from the group and towards her friend on the floor, unaware of second soldier who had appeared, throwing a punch at the back of her head. She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, only to receive the punch to her cheek instead.

Her head snapped to the side so fast, Hanji could almost feel the whiplash from here. Brown's eyes narrowed as she whipped back around to face the soldier, her eyes promising murder.

Hanji was happy to let the bar fight play out, it would teach the girl character. Maybe knock the Garrison soldier down a few notches too. That was the thinking at first. At least until she saw the glint of a knife in Brown's hand.

"Or maybe not" Hanji muttered as she slammed her cup on the table and leapt forward; quickly snagging Brown by the waist. Hanji then threw the cadet over her shoulder and made her way outside where the cold evening air seemed to wake the girl up like a slap in the face.

Once back on her feet, Brown blinked a few times, trying to focus on the person in front of her. When she did, her fist snapped into a salute. Of course it was the wrong hand, but the girl was pissed. "At ease" Hanji laughed as the girl dropped her incorrect salute and would've fallen to the floor had Hanji not been holding her upright.

Hanji inspected Brown's cheek to see that a bruise was already starting to form and would no doubt, be a right shiner by tomorrow. Hanji watched amused as Brown's eyes kept fluttering shut and her head bobbing up and down as she tried to stay awake; before she sighed and threw the cadet over her shoulder once more. There were only so many many good medics going around, it would be shameful to waste one. Calling a goodbye to the group inside, she headed towards the city's training barracks, her small cargo already snoring away.

Back inside the pub, the incident was forgotten almost instantly as the next song began to play, drawing the drunk and tipsy back to the dance floor. They'd forget all about the tiny girl; writing it off as some alcohol-ridden dream.

All except one, who throughout the night kept his eyes on the people around him. Who watched and listened as people partied and laughed, ignorant to the eyes watching them; a habit so ingrained in the man, it was damn near impossible to break. And so it was that Levi watched through narrowed eyes as this tiny girl felled a giant.


	8. Humanity's Comeback: The Night of the Closing Ceremony

**_"Freya used to talk about graduation goggles…I finally know what she was talking about"-Edith M. Brown, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Final Exam, Trost Forest**

Rain poured down in buckets as the cadets of the 104th cadet corps thundered through the forest, their cloaks doing little to shield them and their packs from the rain. Edith trailed after the group, thankfully not last but very close.

As a field medic, it was expected of her to carry more than the standard gear, but even with the strength training they had done during medic training, her stamina was still shit. She tried to pull her focus away from her harsh breathing and the thundering horse Shadis rode; but found that it was hard when Shadis began to yell at the stragglers behind her.

"YOUR BOOTS WATER-LOGGED ARTLERT? LET SEE SOME HUSTLE! GEAR TO HEAVY FOR YOU SON? WELL DROP IT! LEAVE IT IN THE MUD! THE TITANS WILL HAVE EASIER WORK DIGESTING YOU WITHOUT THE EXCESS BAGGAGE!" he shouted over the rain, before catching up to the rest of the group, taking notes as he did so.

"Seriously?" called Reiner as he fell back in step with the shorter blonde. Armin glanced up at the taller blonde, breath coming out in harsh gulps as Reiner took pity on him and swung Armin's pack over his shoulders so that he was carrying two. "Focus on staying upright. We  _are_  being graded on this, y'know"

"Thanks. But, uh, won't they demerit you for helping me?" Armin wheezed.

"Yeah, if they find out. Just make the cut and we're even, alright?"

_Reiner Braun: the mind and constitution of a grass-fed ox, respected by his comrades._

"I'm no ones burden! You hear me!" Armin cried as he ran forward, pulled his pack off of Reiner and pushed further up the group, leaving Reiner and Edith at the back.

_Armin Arlert: built like a daffodil, but academically? Brilliant._

Further in, the canopy was so closely knit together that it blocked out the weening rain. Perfect weather to test the cadets. Cadets flew left, right and centre as they sliced at the napes of the wooden Titans.

_Annie Leonhart: gifted with a sword, but does not exactly play well with others._

_Bertolt Hoover: heaps of natural talent, too mild mannered._

_Jean Kirschstein: head of the class on ODM, also an insufferable smart-ass with a hair trigger temper._

Jean leapt from the branch, pressing on the gas as he launched forward towards the next Titan, blades at the ready. His smirk fell from his face as Connie cut down in front of him, "Way to lead the charge!" Connie called, hopping from tree to tree "You don't care if I steal your thunder, right?"

"YAHOO!" called Sasha as she swept in and cut the nape before Connie could even get close, enjoying the bounce in the recoil as she flew skywards.

_Sasha Blouse: unusually fine instincts, rarely shares them with her teammates._

_Connie Springer: agile on the switchbacks, few sandwiches shy of a picnic._

Mikasa was no more than a blur as she cut through the first Titan, rebounding off of the tree and getting the second. Eren was hot on her heels, however his cuts were shallower, something that pissed him off greatly.

_Mikasa Ackerman: model cadet, excels in everything. In fact it's no overstatement to call the girl a genius._

_Eren Jeager: lack lustre in the classroom, marginally better in the field. But driven by a sense of purpose that is almost terrifying._

Further along, Edith had unlatched her wires from the canopy, letting her free fall towards one of older cadets who had been reluctantly pushed from their tree. When she had a hold of the cadet, she latched a wire into the canopy above her and used the wide swing to bring them up onto a large branch.

There she set to work, checking the patient cadet for any injuries. Thankfully he had only received a dislocated shoulder and those were relatively easy to reset.

_Edith Brown: shit stamina, poor bedside manner. But medically? Brilliant._

* * *

At dinner that night, Edith sat with Armin, Eren and Mikasa as she and Armin discussed everything from the final grades to the ODM gear. Mikasa would put her two two cents in now and then, but Eren wasn't listening at all. So it was only natural that he jumped up from his seat and leapt at Jean, once again trying to shove his ideologies down Jean's throat.

And just like clockwork, Jean rose to the bait. Edith and most of the cadets tuned the familiar skirmish out. After three years of the same thing, it was starting to get old; Jean would say something pretentious, Eren would deny it and state why his opinion was superior and then the two would dissolve into shoving squabbles like two toddlers.

 _I wonder where everyone is going to go?_ Edith thought as she continued to eat,  _Eren would undoubtedly go into the Scout Regiment and Armin and Mikasa would follow him to the ends of the Earth. Jean was deadset on the Military Police, but other than that, no one really broadcasts where they want to go. Maybe they still don't know?_

A sudden thud brought her out of her musings and Edith turned in her seat to see Eren standing over Jean who lay on the floor. There was a beat of silence as everyone froze, listening to the approaching footsteps and the squeaky creak of the mess hall door.

Jean and Eren hurriedly retook their seats as Shadis cracked the door enough for his voice to float through "Would someone care to explain the little ruckus I heard just now?" he questioned, "I do hope everything is all right"

No one answered for a moment, too scared to speak up until Mikasa raised her hand slightly and ignoring the panicked faces of the two boys near her replied to Shadis. "Sasha passed some gas, Commondant" The reaction was instantaneous. Sasha gasped in embarrassment, Eren and Jean stared at the tables in relief and many cadets tried to hold their snickers in.

"Why am I not surprised. For the love of God, learn some self-control" replied Shadis before he left the hall.

* * *

**_Of the original recruits, 218 cadets graduated. Some with honours._ **

"DO YOU HAVE HEART?!" The cadet Commander bellowed out towards the cadets gathered in formal rows filling up the courtyard.

"Sir!" chorused the cadets, saluting him as they did so.

"AS OF THIS MOMENT YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS OPEN TOO YOU, CHOOSE WISELY! THE GARRISON CORPS WHOSE JOB IS TO REINFORCE THE WALLS. THE SCOUT REGIMENT WHO RIDES OUT INTO TITAN COUNTRY TO TAKE BACK WHAT WAS ONCE OURS AND THE MILITARY POLICE CORPS, MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER UNDER ORDERS FROM HIS ROYAL MAJESTY. THOSE CADETS ELIGIBLE FOR THE MP HAVE ALREADY BEEN NAMED. THE REST OF YOU TAKE A LOOK, THESE ARE THE TOP OF YOUR CLASS!"

The top ten cadets who lined the floor in front of the stage stood proudly, arms crossed behind their backs as they faced their comrades. From left to right stood Krista Lenz, Sasha Blouse, Connie Springer, Marco Bott, Jean Kirschstein, Eren Jeager, Annie Leonhart, Bertholt Hoover, Reiner Braun and Mikasa Ackerman.

The day had finally arrived, graduation was here.

* * *

The next day, after the informal graduation ceremony, the cadets took advanced of their free day and mingled with the public as they watched the Scouts return from yet another expedition. "Look! It's Captain Levi!" called an older cadet, "They say he's like an entire squad unto himself!"

"Feel how excited everyone is? It's like the crowd just has a different energy now" Eren beamed as he watched his heroes move passed.

"Well, we are going on five years without incident" replied Hannah, "Seems like a good omen"

"And you should check out all the canon upgrades! The sight alone outta be enough to scare 'em off!" added Hans.

"That's the truth!"

"Are you in denial cause you're a couple?!" Eren demanded.

"What?! No! It's not like that!" Hannah and Hans denied, both turning beet-red as Armin chuckled off to the side.

* * *

Later that morning, the cadets were split into groups and ordered to begin the menial tasks such as clean and prep the new wall-mounted canons. "What? The hell you mean, you're joining the Scouts?!" Eren questioned, shocked by Connie's revelation, "What happened to the MP, that was your whole shtick!"

"A guy's allowed to change his mind, okay!" Connie defended as he cleaned the base of the canon.

"I think the speech you said yesterday lit a fire under him" commented Edith as she came to stand next to Eren.

"Huh?"

"Ain't nobody talking to you! HIs temper tantrum had nothing to do with!" Connie cried.

"Take it easy, it's not like you're the only one" interjected Thomas who came to a stop next the group as he scratched his sideburns.

"What? Are you serious?" Eren breathed.

"Can you guys keep a secret?" Sasha questioned the group dreamily as she joined the group, "Cause I totally just helped myself to the officers' pantry!" The boys all stood in shock as she revealed the prime meat she had smuggled in her jacket.

"Sasha! They could throw your ass in the clink for that!" Eren protested.

"Seriously! What is wrong with you?" Thomas added.

"What isn't wrong with her?" Connie muttered.

"It'll be fine, I'm willing to share...oh! Can you imagine the sandwiches!" Sasha drooled.

"Oh nice! What does that bring the score to now? 20?" Edith asked, drawing the boys' attention.

"Score? What are you talking about? Are you saying she's done this before?" Connie demanded.

"Sasha's got sticky fingers and thinks with her stomach; of course she's done this before!" grinned Edith.

"That's not the point! Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the Titan's took Wall Maria?" Samuel asked as Sasha moved to hide the meat away in the box for the canon ammunition.

"Little bit, yeah. Just look at it this way, pretty soon, we'll take back all the room we need for livestock"

That was all it took for the group to crumble and ask for their share of the meat. "Come on! Don't just stand there! If they see us slacking off, we're in for it!" Samuel reminded them as the group split up and went back to their chores.

"See you guys at lunch!" Edith called as she moved back down the wall. Edith had barely gotten to the storage unit two canons down when the unthinkable happened. It had been five years without a single incident, so why would anything change now? In that moment as Edith stared up at the meaty head of the Colossal Titan, she remembered the terror that had enveloped her all those years ago.

"Shit!" Edith cursed as she and the others were thrown from the top of the wall by the heat wave that radiated from the Titan. The heat was intense, it felt like it could have melted her skin clean off of her bones. Hissing at the sudden heat her prosthetic had absorbed, she reacted quickly; latching onto the side of the wall with her feet kicking up dust until she came to a stop just a ways from the top, her wires pulling taut.

Looking over at the others, she was relieved to see that they too had locked onto the wall. Connie's cry of "SAMUEL!" shattered that relief. Samuel had been closest to the blast and was continuing to downwards in his free fall.

It felt like Edith's heart was pumping in her ears as she realised she wouldn't be able to get to him in time. Thankfully, Sasha had always been a quick thinker and released her hold on the wall, running after him and sending out a wire to hook into his ankle, the other hooking into the wall, keeping them both in place. "TRY NOT TO MOVE! UNDERSTAND!" It was hard to tell if Samuel had heard Sasha or not, from the look of him, the news wasn't looking good.

Clutching onto her blades, Edith gripped her right shoulder, quickly pulling it away as she felt how hot the metal socket was. She had no doubt that it was going to scar.  _That was way too fucking close!_ She thought as she watched Samuel swing back and forth like a pendulum.

"Oh God, no! Not again!" Eren breathed, drawing Edith's view down to the hole in the wall where the gate had been kicked in.

"They're gonna get in. They're gonna get in. THEY'RE GONNA GET IN!" Connie screamed, terror present in his voice.

The group of cadets stayed locked on the wall, their souls filled with overwhelming terror. A trance which was shattered by the commanding voice of Eren as he swung back up towards the Colossal Titan. "THIS IS IT PEOPLE! DO OR DIE! MOUNTED CANON SQUAD FOUR! TAKE OUT THE COLOSSAL TITAN! THIS IS OUR CHANCE! DON'T LET IT SLIP AWAY!"

"You..." growled Eren as he alighted atop the steaming wall, staring down the Titan that started it all, all those years ago. It was time to make them pay. "It's been awhile"


	9. The Struggle for Trost: First Battle

**_"...You ever want to just smack someone 'round the head? Like those morons who say 'face your fears'...Clearly they've never met a Titan"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Wall Rose, Trost**

**_In the year 845, two terrifying new Titans appeared - the Colossal and the Armoured - barrelling through the outer walls as if the destruction was child's play. The territory within the circle of Wall Maria was abandoned, 20% of the human race perished._ **

**_As the Titan onslaught advanced, our only choice was to withdraw behind Wall Rose. Five years later, in the year 850, the Colossal and Armoured returned to wreck havoc on Wall Rose. -_ ** **_The Fall of Rose ,_ ** **_Armin Arlert_ **

Edith was brought out of her terror-induced trance by Eren's scream as he launched himself up on the top of the wall. Following Eren's orders, Edith and the others alighted on the top of the wall just as a tower of smoke billowed outwards, engulfing the top of the wall once more.

Taking a deep breathe to steady herself, Edith pulled out the mono-goggles (used for surgery) from her medi-pack and snapped them into place. Next she pulled the dirty white neckerchief up over her face, so that it sat snug over her nose and mouth. Braving the heated smoke, Edith then leapt forward and ran the length of the wall, making her way over to Sasha who was trying to very gently reel Samuel in.

As she ran, she passed by the others who gathered together and ran to the edge of Wall Rose that overlooked Titan country. She had faith that they would be able to handle themselves. She had to. Skidding to a stop next to Sasha, she helped to bring Samuel up onto the wall top and lay him down on his back.

Falling back on her training, Edith tried to emotionally remove herself from the situation and began to go through the motions, checking first his breathing then his other symptoms. "Is he gonna be okay?" Sasha asked from where she sat to Edith's left, watching over her friend as Connie landed softly next to them.

"He's still breathing which is good" Edith replied as she methodically worked her way through the symptoms, "but he seems to have contracted heatstroke from that Titan blast and the hook in his foot still needs to be removed"

"But you can do that, right?" Connie asked as he watched the older girl flitter around Samuel's unconscious form.

There wasn't an immediate answer as Edith laid Samuel's left arm up above his head and bent his left leg at a right angle, before carefully rolling him over on his side and into the recovery position. Edith then knelt down next to Samuel's head as she made sure his mouth was open and his head was laying on his left arm, so that he wouldn't choke.

Sasha shuffled back as much as she could from Samuel's feet so that Edith could continue in her work, however she could only go so far with her ODM wires were still stuck in Samuel's leg. Upon closer inspection, Edith was able to see that the ODM hook had not only gone straight through his ankle, but the wires wrapped around it several times.

Flicking open her pocket knife, Edith set to work sawing through the wires that were wrapped around Samuel's leg; when they fell loose, Sasha was able to retract her wires and shuffle over to the side as Edith gently pulled the leather boot off and placed it to the side.

With the boot off, Edith then moved to deal with the hook still embedded in the skin. With practised hands, Edith was able to effortlessly and rather painlessly pull the hook from his leg with a quick dip and tug. Said item was dropped next to the boot as Edith then moved to seal up the small wound left behind.

Thankfully Sasha had always been a good shot, even with the ODM gear, and the clean cut was much easier to heal than first thought. Edith knelt next to Samuel's feet and placed the offending ankle in her lap, careful not to jostle him too much as she did so.

There was a small flash of light as Edith clapped her hands together before she cupped the ankle in her hands, the metallic hand gripping the underside and the flesh hand over top, the carved pentagrams on either hand mirroring each other as the skin beneath her hands began to seal themselves back together.

Connie and Sasha watched on in bewitched awe, unsure of what they were seeing as Edith wrapped bandages around the tender limb and carefully placed it back on the ground. "What was that? What did you do?" Connie demanded as Edith collected the bloody hook and wires from the ground. She placed the wire in a pack at her hips and gave the hook back to Sasha, who in turn quickly tied the bloody hook onto her shorter wire.

"It's not important" Edith replied as she tried in vain to figure out how to bring down Samuel's fever. There wasn't any shade up here on the wall, and placing cloth over his head to shield him from the sun could make things worse. "Samuel's gonna be fine, he just needs to rest and get out of the sun"

Connie went to say more when Thomas' call sounded over near the edge of the wall where Eren had disappeared to. "Eren, where'd he go? Did you get him or take him out?"

"He's gone. Exactly like five years ago, he's here one moment and gone the next, just like that" came Eren's voice over the wall. Edith looked up as Connie and Sasha had moved to greet the others and Eren had come back up the wall.

"I'm sorry, I-" Eren began.

"Don't apologise, look at us, we were too scared to move" Thomas interrupted.

"Hey! Wallow on your own time! In case you hadn't noticed there's a breach, we have to act now! If they start getting in, that's it!" Connie interjected as he stared down the wall, unable to really believe what had just happened.

"Look alive!" A Garrison soldier called as he landed on the edge of the wall and garnered the group's attention as they saluted him from where they were situated, "Operation Colossal Titan Response is in effect! I expect you to take part! Report to HQ, if you were close to the damn thing we need details!"

"Sir!" chorused the group.

* * *

Back at the Trost HQ, cadets ran around like headless chickens as they readied themselves for battle. Edith stood gathered around the medical supplies with the other field medics (many of them older than her and with more experience) as they went through their supplies and made sure that they had everything they would need.

One of their professors, Lukas Norfolk, was decked out in his Garrison uniform and checking his own pack as he barked out orders, his voice barely heard over the sound of another Garrison soldier who was barking out orders for the other cadets across the room.

"LISTEN UP SHIT HEADS! YOU'RE GOING OUT INTO TITAN TERRITORY! YOUR ASSES WILL BE ON THE LINE! TRUST IN YOUR SQUAD AND STICK TO THEM LIKE GLUE! MORE THAN ONE OF YOUR SQUAD WILL DIE TODAY! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU MUST BE THE LAST OF YOUR SQUAD TO DIE!" as usual Norfolk had no qualms about bluntly expressing things, it was probably why he had always been one of Edith's favourite professors. He never sugar coated things; either you said it or you didn't, sugar coating was for children, not medics.

* * *

Once all military personnel were kitted out and gathered in the courtyard, they stood in uniform rows as they awaited orders. Up on the stage Captain Kitz Weilman stood barking orders, his lieutenants spread out in a line behind him.

"...ALL SQUADRONS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUPPLY RUNS, MESSAGE RELAY AND ENEMY COMBAT UNDER THE COMMAND OF THE GARRISON REGIMENT! THE INNERMOST SQUADRON WILL BE TAKING THE VANGUARD, CADETS WILL BE TAKING THE MIDDLE GUARD LED BY THE SUPPORT SQUAD AND REAR GUARD WILL GO TO THE ELITES! I EXPECT YOU ALL TO MAN YOUR POSTS, KNOWING THE ADVANCED TEAM HAS BEEN WIPED OUT!

THAT'S RIGHT! THE OUTER GATE IS HISTORY! THE TITANS ARE IN! THIS MEANS THAT THE ARMOURED TITAN IS LIKELY TO APPEAR AND WHEN HE DOES, THE INNER GATE WILL ALSO BE HISTORY!"  _What?..._  Edith thought in horror, her fear mirrored in the people around her, many muttering about incredulity of the situation.

"QUIET! RIGHT THOSE WITH THE VANGUARD BE READY! THE WHOLE AREA IS SATURATED WITH TITANS! YOUR MISSION IS A VERY SIMPLE ONE, DEFEND THE WALL TILL THE EVACUATION'S DONE! NOW BE AWARE, THAT FOR ALL OF YOU THAT DESERTION IS PUNISHABLE BY EXECUTION! IF IT COMES TO IT, LAY DOWN YOUR LIVES! DISMISSED!"

"SIR!" the crowd chorused, saluting the officers on stage.

* * *

Edith stood with the other field medics as Norfolk read from a list, assigning medics to squads as he did so. "...AMELIA GREY SQUAD 44, NIAL COLLINGWOOD SQUAD 32, STEPHEN FEN SQUAD 28, EDITH BROWN SQUAD 34, LUCILLE GREAVES SQUAD 25, MEGAN SMITH SQUAD 40. DISMISSED!"

"SIR!" the medics chorused as they saluted, before they scattered, turning on their heels and made their way to their assigned squads.

* * *

Edith met up with squad 34 on the rooftops close to Trost HQ, thankful that she recognised some of the faces in the group. Eren stood at the helm, looking out towards the Walls as he listened to the sounds of fighting and the evacuation going on in the streets below them. Immediately behind him stood Armin & Thomas and the last two faces she couldn't name, but she recognised their faces from training.

Coming to a stop in line with Thomas, Edith's thoughts turned to their lessons on Titans as she waited with the others for orders from the Garrison. Now, on the cusp of possible death, she almost missed the stuffy lecture halls.

**_"...What surviving historical documents we do have access to, tell us nothing of the Titan's origin. Almost everything about them is obscure. Now that isn't to suggest we're completely ignorant. Thanks to the efforts of the Scout Regiment, we do know something of their ecology._ **

**_Whether Titans posses human-like intelligence is up for debate of course and to date there have been no reports of high level communication between them. We do know that the Titan physiology is fundamentally different than most organic life, as they lack reproductive organs it's unclear how they reproduce._ **

**_Apart from this, to all appearances their physique appears to resemble the average human male. We also know their body's temperature runs rather high and baffling though it is, their appetite seems geared exclusively towards human beings. In fact, a Titan's driving principle appears to be this appetite._ **

**_Given that they've lasted for over a century without access to their only source of nourishment however, we summarise that these creatures do not in fact consume us to live. Let that sink in. Titan's aren't motivated by hunger as such, they're simply in it for the kill._ **

**_A terrifying vitality of these creatures is beyond scientific dispute; we've only to consider events of the recent past to see this. Mankind has long possessed canon technology as you know, but that alone proved tragically insufficient; even with their heads blown to bits, the Titans persist. Though there is some variability in this, a Titan's head usually regenerates within two minutes" The professor droned on, his voice bouncing around the large room._ **

**_"Excuse me sir, are you basically saying that Titans are immortal?!" Marco piped up, waving his hand in the air._ **

**_"No, I'm not" the professor replied as he turned and drew a diagram on the blackboard, "There is in fact one way to insure death. Strike here, at the back of the neck. If the nape takes significant damage, a Titan will not regenerate. This is the chink in the proverbial armour._ **

**_That is, you may've summarised, is where the flesh-pairing blades you see here come in. A good deep strike to the back of the neck and the monster has no time to regenerate, they die and stay dead"_ **

Edith was brought out of her thoughts by Eren who was clearly trying to reassure himself as much as Armin. "...Look at it this way, Armin. It's a golden opportunity, I mean if we prove our worth as soldiers right here, we'll rise up right through the ranks. Before long, we could be leading our own squad. We could bypass rookie status all together!"

"...Sounds good, I'm with you all the way" Armin replied, a smirk upon his face.

"Now, now boys, you're not the only ones in your class. Save some for the rest of us" Edith smirked, arms crossed as the two boys turned to look at the group behind them, suddenly remembering they weren't alone.

"Good luck beating us to the punch a second time, Eren. No head starts for you this time round" Thomas added.

"Is that a challenge?" Eren replied.

"Listen up, whoever kills the most Titans get bragging rights"

"Heh, better not fudge your scores"

"SQUADRON 34! MOVE OUT!" called the Garrison soldier a few rooftops over, "THE VANGUARD NEEDS SUPPORT!"

"RIGHT! GIVE 'EM HELL!" Eren ordered as everyone rushed off of the rooftop with a holler and towards the Titan onslaught.

Coming up on the bell tower, the extent of the damage was slowly becoming evident. The squad flew over the deserted streets, the situation eerily similar to the fall of Shiganshina was bringing forth unwanted and repressed memories to the forefront of Edith's mind. Something she did not need right now.

"Holy shit! There's so many of them!" Edith breathed, her smug facade falling as she looked out at the Titans wandering about the streets, picking the buildings apart as if they were doll houses.

"The vanguard's been completely overwhelmed!" Thomas cried, "I don't believe this! Those guys always talked so big!"

"ABNORMAL! SCATTER!" Eren suddenly shouted as a Titan launched itself at the group like a flying squirrel.

Edith managed to slam on the breaks at the call, using the recoil of her wire to come to a rough stop on a rooftop not too far from one of the bell towers. She took a deep breath to try and calm her wildly beating heart as she did a head count of her squad. There were only four of them standing on the rooftops with her and with a quick glance down she saw that Eren hung from the gutters like a monkey. But they were still missing someone.

Following the squad's eye line, Edith soon found what they were all gawking at. The abnormal had somehow wrapped itself around the bell tower, clinging to it like a child would a parent's leg. The group watched on in silent wide-eyed horror as the Abnormal poked its head out from around the building it clung to. In its mouth lay the body of Thomas Wagner. From this far away, they couldn't hear what he was saying, but Edith could hazard a guess that he was pleading for his life.

It felt like a lifetime had passed, but in reality it was only a few seconds as Thomas slipped down the Titans throat, the vile creature swallowing him whole. Thomas didn't even get a chance to scream. Once the Titan had had its fill of Thomas, it got up and wandered off down the street, completely ignorant to what it had just done.

Edith was stuck frozen to her spot on the roof as she watched Thomas die. Sure they had been warned that their squad mates would probably die, Maria! They couldn't have mentioned it more! But to have it actually happen, to watch your friend, your classmate who stood next to you one minute and the next, disappear in a shower of blood.

The droplets a poor imitation of flower petals floating in the wind and the blatant disregard the Titans had? Words couldn't even begin to describe. So it really shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, that Eren was the first to leap forth, zooming after the Titan screaming insults with promised murder in his eyes.

One by one, everyone in squad 34 followed after him, if only to make sure that he didn't get himself killed as well. Edith took the rear, intent on keeping an eye on the others, fearful that she would likely lose them as well.

She watched on with everyone else as Eren put the pedal to the metal and zoomed down the street, intent on exacting his revenge on the Titan that had killed Thomas, probably with some half-baked plan in mind. However, just as he turned a sharp corner, he had to quickly pull up to avoid the jaws of a shorter Abnormal, the Titan jumping up like a fish trying to catch the bait.

He came to a stop a few rooftops over, blood dripped into his eye as he sat up and watched his squad get decimated by the Titans that lined the streets behind him. He had being going so fast beforehand, that he hadn't really taken notice of how populated this area was, but looking back he couldn't really see how he could have missed them.

His intent to find the Thomas-killing Titan disappeared as he watched his fellow classmates drop like flies. He couldn't quite believe it, they had been laughing with him only moments before. How could this be real?

After Thomas, Mark and Billy were summarily eaten, yanked from the sky like yo-yos. Limbs were bitten off and bodies were left lying around the place like macabre ornaments with their faces forever frozen in expressions of fear. Eren's eyes frantically scanned the street for someone, anyone who had survived the sudden ambush.

There! Rebounding off of the closest building, Edith brought up the rear cutting through the napes of the Titans as if they were made of butter. She moved quickly and with intent, her blades slicing through the flesh at the back of the neck as she spun & twirled back and forth like a pinball. She eventually rolled to a stop on a rooftop across from Eren, her eyes never leaving the trail of destruction and what was left of their classmates as she did a headcount once again.

Eren and Edith had never really been close, sure they had talked now and then, usually when they had eaten meals together - her and Armin could talk about everything and nothing, something he and Mikasa would never understand. Despite this, Eren's gaze roved over her crouched form, trying to decipher if she was hiding any injuries, but aside from the quickly evaporating Titan blood she appeared to be fine.

Suddenly her gaze snapped towards the sound of approaching footsteps, ones that couldn't be anything other than a Titan. Eren watched as Edith's eyes widened and she clutched onto her blades, preparing to leap forward once more. Following her gaze, he saw something that turned his insides cold.

A grey-haired Titan that reminded him of Armin's grandfather, had Armin in its grasp and was holding him above his mouth, ready to drop him in and swallow him whole. Something seemed to be wrong since Armin wasn't so much as twitching, he was stock still, staring down the tunnel to hell. Maybe it was shock?

Unbidden, a memory surged to the forefront of his mind as he watched his best friend hang over the cusp of death.

**_"Eren! Eren! Look what I've got!" A young Armin cried as he ran over to where a young Eren was cloud watching on the river bank in the setting sun._ **

**_"Ugh, why are you shouting?" Eren groaned as his lolled over to where Armin stood with an old leather-bound book was clasped in his hands._ **

**_"Sorry" Armin replied, not sounding sorry at all "I found a book my Grandpa keeps hidden away. Believe it or not, it's about life on the outside!"_ **

**_"I really hope this is your idea of a joke. Stuff about the outside world is illegal, seriously, you could go to jail for that"_ **

**_"Trust me! You'd change your mind if you knew what was actually out there! For example, according to this book, most of the world is covered with salty water so deep you can't reach the bottom! There's even a name for it too! They call it the ocean!"_ **

**_"Salty? For real? C'mon you're making it up, if something valuable like salt was just floating around underwater the merchants would've just scooped it out ages ago"_ **

**_"That's just it! The ocean never runs out! It's that big!"_ **

**_"Yeah, whatever"_ **

**_"Just bear with me, there's a lot more than salty water. Water that glows like fire, fields of ice, giant rocks that take days to climb! Imagine how huge the outside world must be!"_ **

**_"It does sound really neat..."_ **

**_"Okay, you've gotta promise on your life you're not gonna tell anyone. But my parents are, uh, well, they're gonna sneak outside the Walls to see for themselves"_ **

**_"They'll know what it's like firsthand"_ **

**_"Look at me. We should do it ourselves one day, we could have adventures like the guy that wrote this book..."_ **

"ARMIN!" Eren cried as he launched himself forward without a thought. The familiar sound of the ODM gear greeted his ears and he knew that Edith was not far behind him. He pressed on the gas when he watched Armin hit the Titan's tongue with a cry, his screams finally reaching Eren's ears as he slid down the tongue. Eren let out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding when he grabbed onto Armin's outstretched arm. He'd made it just in time.

Eren had never been one to think things through, that's what Armin was for. He was good at that kind of thing. And despite pretending he was the toughest out of the three of his friends, his family, Eren wore his heart on his sleeve, using emotion to drive himself forward.

And so it was that when he grasped onto Armin's outstretched arm, he didn't think twice about flinging his surrogate brother out of the Titan's mouth and towards the rooftop behind him, effectively taking Armin's place in the process. He watched too many people die today, he lost his parents to the fall of Wall Maria and there was no way in hell he was going to lose his brother as well.

Eren could only watch as Edith landed roughly next to Armin, a look of shock on her face as she stumbled to the edge of the roof. It was through slitted eyes that he watched Edith swallow hard before sending one of her wires towards him that bounced off the back of the Titan's throat, a gagging sound escaping the beast as she did so.

It was clear she meant for him to grab onto the wire, but he was busy trying to keep the creature's jaws from closing in on him. Propping a foot up against the edge of the bottom teeth, Eren wrapped his left arm around the wire in a futile attempt to survive and reached out to Armin with tears in his eyes as he began muttering his last words. "Armin, listen...we're still going to the outside world...the things you told me about...I have to see them...I have to..."

"EREN! NO!" Armin cried, crawling to the edge of the rooftop reaching out for his brother's hand. In a knee-jerk reaction, Edith yanked on the wire wrapped around Eren's arm, pulling hard as she watched another classmate die right before her eyes.

Her desperate attempt to save Eren failed as only the arm wrapped in her ODM wire escaped the Titan's clamped jaws. She watched with deadened eyes as the offending limb bounced and rolled to a stop at her feet.

It took her a moment to reach down with shaking hands and untangle the limb from the wire, whereupon Armin clutched onto the bloody arm, hugging it to his chest much like Moses' mother had done all those years ago as he wailed for the brother he had lost.


	10. The Struggle for Trost: The World the Girl Saw

**_"We were also told that first kills were going to be hard, but they never truly warned us about losing friends for the first time...I guess death is something we never really get used to"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Trost City District**

It was clear to Edith that Armin had fallen prey to shock, but who could blame him? He'd just watched his brother die right before his eyes and he'd done nothing to stop it, too frozen in fear to help. With shaky fingers, she pulled the flare gun from her belt and fired a red round up into the air where it joined the other signal flares, telling the others not to come this way.

She then glanced around at the sound of more thundering footsteps approaching their direction, the Titans were closing in. It was time to go, but there was no way Armin was going to willing move. He'd stopped wailing by now, but the tears still stained his face and he looked down at the arm in his grasp with a glassy stare.

With a sigh, Edith knelt in front of Armin and tried to get his attention. "Armin? Armin? I'm gonna pick you up now, okay? You're gonna need to hold on to me, okay?" When she only got a glassy stare in return, she bent forth and pulled him over her shoulders. It took her a moment to get him situated so that he hung comfortably over her shoulders like a large floppy scarf.

Standing upright, she adjusted him a little more and was relieved to feel him lock a hand around one of his legs, in front of her chest, effectively hog-tying himself. Edith tried not to think about the limb he still clung to as she took off for the squad she had spotted a few roofs over.

* * *

"...Wake up! Armin! Hey! Can you hear me? C'mon! Snap out of it! I need you to talk to me! Say something!" Connie called as he shook Armin by the shoulders. Armin blinked a few times, bringing things into focus as if he were just waking up. Looking up at the relieved face of his friend, Armin couldn't help but sag into the embrace a little.

He could vaguely remember Edith bringing him over to the other squad of his classmates, and asking Connie to watch over him as she went to scavenge a nearby body for supplies. He remembered her taking Eren's arm from him and wrapping it gently in a pillow case, before giving it back to him, stating that he was starting to scare the others.

"There you are, you with me now? What's going on? Where's your squad? Armin, let's get you on your feet, you shouldn't be out here alone. What the hell you got all over you that's so damn slimy? What happened?" Despite Connie's gentle tone, Armin still jolted at the questions, staring wide-eyed up at him before he started to wail once more, gripping onto his hair as he bent in half.

Edith chose that moment to return, landing next to a shaken Connie who was staring at Armin, watching him come undone. "Dammit man! I told you to watch him, not set him off!" Edith grumbled as she whacked Connie up the back of the head.

"Ow!" Connie whined as he rubbed his head and glared in Edith's direction.

"All right, what'd you do?" she asked, putting away the last of the supplies she had gathered (mostly refilling her gas tanks from the bodies that littered the streets. It may have been dishonourable to pick apart a corpse's belongings, but it there was one thing she learned from Eight Mile, it was to not waste what little you had).

"I just asked him about what happened to your squad, then he just went nuts"

"Ymir's right, our squad is dead" Edith sighed, ignoring Connie as he stiffened and knelt down in front of Armin who had quietened down by this point, but tears were still staining his cheeks.

"Oh, please don't kill me for this Armin" Edith breathed as she quickly slapped him across the face, hard enough to leave a hand print and bring him out of his reverie. "We gotta go now, Armin. Can you stand?" she asked, the gentle tone of her voice contrasting against her actions.

"I-I'm sorry" Armin muttered as he got to his feet and robotically made his way over to the edge of the roof, ignoring Connie's protests as he set off for the rear guard.

"Don't worry, I got him" Edith muttered from her place next to Connie as they watched Armin leave, his head hung low, "We'll see you guys later, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you later" Connie replied, wincing at the pained smile Edith gave him in return, before she followed after Armin down the street.

* * *

Edith followed about a half a metre behind Armin, giving him enough space to sort out his thoughts, but also being close enough that she could help should something go wrong. It was clear to her that he had just lost the only family he had left, she should know, it was similar to how she had reacted during the failed operation to retake Wall Maria. So it was to no ones surprise that he flew face first into a two-story wall, before sliding to the ground and laying there in a heap.

Edith landed lightly on the ground, a little ways behind him as he continued to weep for the brother he lost. It was only just now hitting her how eerily quiet it was here, the abandoned city reminding her of the ghost stories her mother used to tell around the bonfire. Edith turned to the only sound that broke the captivating silence.

The scene she found was one she knew she would become familiar with; someone trying to bring their loved one back to them. She also knew from her training at the Civilian Medic Clinic what was about to happen when she intervened. People often saw medics as angels, one's who held their loved one's life in their hands and when they died, those so-called angels were no longer worthy of the title.

"Hannah? What are your doing?" Edith called gently as she squatted down on the other side of Hans. The girl in question was desperately trying to breathe life back into her partner, unable to swallow the fact that he was already long dead, the CPR doing nothing but inflating the lungs of the cooling corpse.

"Oh God Edith! Help me please! Hans quit breathing and I can't wake him up! He won't respond to CPR!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she continued to do chest compressions. Edith felt, more than saw Armin join her at her side as he watched the scene play out before him.

"Edith! Please! You're a medic! Can't you do something?! HELP HIM!" Hannah cried, pulling on Edith's heartstrings. Carefully, she moved over to Hannah's side, slowly as one would approach a wounded animal and wrapped her arms around Hannah's shaking form, trapping Hannah's arms against her body.

"C'mon Hannah, we need to get to safety" Edith whispered in her ear.

"NO! Not without Hans! I'm not leaving without him! You can't make me!"

"Come on Hannah it's time to go" Edith whispered as she pulled the girl to her feet, fighting against her struggles, Edith was able to hold Hannah bridal style as she and Armin landed on a rooftop overlooking the street they had just been standing on.

Under the shade of the bell tower, Hannah turned on Edith, snapping at her through tear-filled eyes. "WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?! YOU BITCH! YOU COULD'VE SAVED HIM! HE'D STILL BE ALIVE IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" Hannah roared as Edith wrapped the girl in a hug and sank to the ground.

"He's gone, Hannah. He's gone" She replied as she rocked the weeping girl to and fro like a mother would their child.

"You could've save him..."

"I'm a medic, not a miracle worker, Hannah. No one can bring back the dead, trust me..."

Off to the side, Armin watched the two girls through blurry vision as the events of the day played out before him. He'd lost his brother and Hannah's attempts to revive Hans had brought back feelings he had been trying to repress.

"Please stop...please stop doing that...I can't...I can't take it..." Armin whimpered as he watched the taller girl beat her fists against Edith's chest, the hits slowing down until finally they just rested between the two.

Edith looked up at the weeping boy and stretched out her free arm to him, "C'mere Armin" she invited, pulling the younger boy into the hug, rocking all three of them as they wept for their families together.

Here in this moment, Armin remembered the long lost feeling of a sibling's love as he listened to Edith's gentled heartbeat beating in his ear, the sound calming him down as he continued to be rocked back and forth, pressed up against his classmates. It was here in this moment, that he promised himself he would become stronger, to make his friends, his family proud of him; because he wanted to protect what little family he had left. A small smile danced across his face as he closed his eyes, listening to the gentle heartbeat in his ear.  _Eren would've killed him if he'd left Mikasa to fend for herself._

* * *

Edith continued to rock the two spread across her lap as she looked up at the grey clouds blanketing the sky. She turned her face up with eyes closed to the rain that was starting to patter down on them and washed away any trace of tears.

There were days just like these that reminded her of the first time her mother had actively shared in her love of all things alchemy, particularly alkahestry.

**_Edith had always known that something wasn't quite right with her mother, ever since she had returned from an expedition a few weeks ago. Freya said she was sick, that it was the kind of sick where she might not get better. Edith believer her, she had seen it._ **

**_There would be days where her mother was practically bouncing off the walls, her excitement almost tangible and her laughter filled every nook and cranny in the old house. On those days, Edith would play with her mother, doing everything from tea parties to sword fights._ **

**_But the best part was when her mother would show her, her alkahestric books. The ones with the complicated diagrams and pretty flowers. Where she would help her mother heal the bird that flew into the window, or the stray cat that liked to frequent their backyard. Edith enjoyed those days the best._ **

**_But that wasn't all of it. There would also be days when her mother wouldn't leave her bed, so consumed in her sadness that Edith could almost taste it. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't play. She'd just lay there, barely breathing as if even that hurt to do._ **

**_Sometimes Edith wondered if she'd done something wrong. Maybe if she did better at school? Or if she tried to get along with her siblings more, would her mother smile again? She didn't know, Edith never like these days. But they helped, those bad days helped to drive Edith forward, she just wanted her mother to smile again. She'd never get the chance._ **

Edith was brought out of her musings by the sound of thunder rolling across the sky, glancing up she saw that the clouds had darkened considerably and the rain now came down in heavier buckets.

"Come on, we should go" Edith murmured as she nudged the soaked two in her lap to get up. Neither of the pair looked at the other as they wiped their tired and blood-shot eyes, run red from all the crying. Edith checked her gas tanks and made sure that everything was still secure one last time before the trio made their way over towards where the rear guard was stationed, newfound and weary determination locked in their souls.


	11. The Struggle for Trost: Small Blade

**_"...Someone once said that fear makes companions of us all. But was that companions in hope or misery?"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850**

**Cadet HQ, Trost City District**

"Captain! Please wait! There's only a handful of us left, sir! If the Titans were to attack here in force, we wouldn't have a chance in hell of holding them off! Please sir! We need you here!" one of the cadets pleaded as he and a few others stood in front of Captain Weilman who was trying to leave the HQ. Himself and a few others, far too scared to risk their lives alongside their fellow cadets were trying to leave than fight against the Titans. Ironic considering only hours before he had told the cadets to lay down their lives and that desertion was punishable by death.

"Out of my way soldier" Weilman ordered, poorly disguised fear written across his face, "I have to get going. My expertise is needed to direct the reinforcements"

"Behind the safety of the inner gate? Am I right?" replied a cadet, calling the captain's bluff.

"...Just what the hell are you implying? They need my help reorganising or would you rather us be overwhelmed due to a logistical nightmare?!"

"But sir! If we lose those supplies-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH! QUESTION MY ORDERS AGAIN, DELAY ME MY DUTIES AND I'LL RUN YOU STRAIGHT THROUGH!" Weilman roared as he held the cadet at knife point, fear clearly written on her face as the two groups reached an impasse.

* * *

Upstairs, the remaining supply team sat huddled in groups of three or four, behind poorly crafted barricades mades of office desks. Every now and then a Titan would peer in through the glazed windows and the shattering of glass could be heard.

"There" a cadet stated calmly as he finished prepping the musket in his hands.

"Come on now, that musket's not gonna be enough to stop them" replied the female cadet to his right. The cadet in question didn't bother replying as he deep throated the barrel of the shotgun. 

The girl's eyes widened as he realised what he was going to do; with no word of warning the cadet pulled the trigger, spraying his brain matter up onto the book shelf behind him. Screams rang out as their numbers dwindled further.

* * *

Edith sat a little ways away from Armin on the adjoining rooftops up on the roof of the bell tower, perched there like a bird as she watched for incoming Titans. She listened to her classmates whimper and moan about what to do next, with a grim expression on her face. Her exhausted form sat hunched over as she fought to keep her eyes on their surroundings.

Shortly after arriving, Armin had isolated himself from the others, leaning up against the wall of the bell tower, feeling somewhat safe with a wall to his back and Edith watching up above him. Not that he made any indication of that as he stared into nothing; the events of the last few hours washing over him whilst Edith had made the rounds earlier to see if anyone needed patching up, most seemed to be okay, just tired and scared.

They had been given the to order to retreat an hour or so earlier, but most of them were either low on fuel or completely empty and they had no chance of refilling, short of stealing the gas from the corpses lining the streets, just as Edith had done. Edith still couldn't believe that while her friends were out here sacrificing themselves, those still inside the HQ had locked themselves away, too scared to do their jobs. Pansies.

"Hey Jean! What are we gonna do?!" Connie demanded, turning to his once tall and overconfident classmate.

"We can't  _do_ anything" Jean grumbled, his tone dull with grief and hopelessness, "They finally give us the order to withdraw and we're all out of gas, of course. I can't  _believe_ this is how it's gonna end, because of those  _damned_ cowards"

"You mean the supply depot? What is going  _on?_ Where  _are_  they?"

"They all lost their will to fight and I can understand why, but they abandoned their duty to supply us, barricading themselves inside HQ and of course Titans have swarmed the place which means we can't get gas ourselves"

"Why are we waiting? We gotta go, start thinning their numbers so we have a chance! Sitting here on this roof is totally pointless! Eventually the Titans are gonna come for us!...But we don't have much gas left, we'll just waste what little we have left if we try to run and without our mobility, we're completely screwed!" Connie cried as he banged on his empty gas canister as he answered his own questions.

"Your using your head for once Connie, nice going. But I'm just not sure if we've got the numbers needed to pull this thing off. Veterans in the vanguard force have all been wiped out, how exactly do a bunch of rookies pull off a suicide mission like that? I mean let's assume half of our force even survives the initial assault, then what? The supply room is probably crawling with Titans in the three to four metre range. I don't see us accomplishing much in there"

"...It's hopeless"

"Huh, God, what a dull life this turned out to be. I never even got to tell her just how I feel"

Sasha tried to get people moving next, telling everyone that she would happily take point, if only so they could refuel and hash out a new plan of attack. It probably would have worked had the tremble in her voice not been present.

Apart from the Titan blood that had stained her clothes only a few hours earlier, the only injury Edith had acquired was to her prosthetic arm. A couple of the screws had come loose and she had had to tie a bandage tightly around her upper arm to keep the parts in place. Unfortunately, shoe couldn't bend that far around to fix it properly, though the quick-fix should hold until they got back to HQ. If they got back.

The sudden arrival of Mikasa had many looking up from their trances as the girl rushed over to where Armin sat all glassy-eyed. Mikasa was like a tornado, turning over everything in her path, even if she didn't quite know it yet.

"Armin!" Mikasa called as she came to a stop in front of her friend, "Armin, are you okay? You're not hurt are you? Where's Eren? Armin?"

"They were...the cadets of squad 34...Thomas Wagner, Mark Tiers, Billy Schversky and Eren Jeager...these brave four...upheld their duties, they died valiantly in the field of battle" Armin cried, his head bowed unable to look the others in the eye as he relayed the oral report. Edith turned her head away as she listened to the crowd below worry about whether they would die just like squad 34 had.

"...I'm so sorry Mikasa" Armin sobbed, "It should've been me that died, not Eren...I-I couldn't do a thing...I'm worthless"

"...Armin, calm yourself we haven't got time for you to get emotional right now. On your feet" Mikasa replied as she pulled Armin up and turned to the others, thinking aloud as she went. "Marco, if we eliminate or bypass the Titans at HQ we can then refuel our gear, allowing us to get back over the wall. Is that assessment correct?"

"Well, I guess so, sure. But there's just too many of them out there. Even with you on point" Marco replied as he watched Mikasa pace up and down the rooftops.

"I  _can_ do it"

"What?"

"I'm strong, real strong. None of you come close, hear me? I am a warrior. Know this, I have the power to slay all of the Titans that block our path, even if I have to do it  _alone_. As far as I'm concerned, I am surrounded by a bunch of unskilled cowardly worms. You disappoint me, you can just sit here and twiddle your thumbs and _watch_ how it's done"

The protests that sprung up from the group were summarily ignored as Mikasa lowered the blades she had raised in the air and turned her back on the group, before launching off the rooftop towards HQ. "If I can't beat them then I die, but, if I win I live and the only way to win is  _to fight!"_

"Y'know I was expecting something more motivational, her way with words was kind of a let down" Jean grumbled, "I blame everything about this on you, Eren...HEY DON'T JUST STAND THERE! WE WERE TAUGHT NOT LET OUR COMRADES FIGHT ALONE, 'LESS YOU'RE A COWARD IN WHICH CASE STAY OUTTA MY WAY!" Jean called as he and Connie launched themselves after Mikasa.

Edith waited atop the bell tower until she was sure that every last one of her class mates had left before she fell foward, letting gravity take control and she launched her wires out if front of her, as she followed them down the path they were carving through the Titans towards HQ.

"HURRY UP FOLLOW MIKASA! AVOID LANDING IF YOU CAN AND GET TO HQ BEFORE YOU RUN OUT OF GAS!" Jean called out to the others. Edith ducked and dove through the carnage left in Mikasa's wake, pulling up next to Connie as Mikasa flew overhead.

"Woah! Mikasa's a badass! How is she going so fast?" Connie breathed as he watched her soar above him.

Edith glanced up at the girl to see that despite her words of wisdom earlier, Mikasa was clearly just as scared as the rest of them, maybe more so if the way she was using her gas. She looked like she was going to lose altitude at any second, her fear clouding her judgement as she used far more gas than she needed.

"MIKASA!" Armin called out as he quickly swung over to where Mikasa had fallen from the sky.

"JEAN! EDITH! TAKE THE OTHERS TO HQ! I'M GOING AFTER ARMIN!" Connie called as he flew after the duo.

"I'LL GO WITH YO-" Jean started.

"DON'T BE STUPID! THERE ARE STILL TITANS EVERYWHERE, YOU GOTTA HELP THER OTHERS!"

"GOT IT! DON'T DIE!" Edith called as she took point, slicing through the nape of a nine metre Titan and used the recoil of her taut wires to launch back up into the air, high above the grabby hands that had appeared in her place only seconds ago.

"Shit!" cursed Edith as she watched a couple of her classmates fall prey to the Titans behind them, they seemed to be coming out of the woodwork now. Maybe they knew what they were trying to do?

* * *

A few moments later, Edith stumbled into a landing next to Jean on a rooftop closer to HQ as she and the few left in their squad had gathered around them. They had lost over half of their classmates just to get to this point and they weren't even there yet. They were situated close enough that they could see a better picture of what they were dealing with, but too far for them to make it on foot.

"It's no use, we're not getting  _anywhere_ near headquarters. Unless of course we don't mind dying" Jean grumbled as he looked out towards the building in question, where the sounds of thundering footsteps and faint screams could be heard.

"Shit. He's out of gas" Edith cursed as she looked down in the street below where a cadet, Tom, stood paralysed with overwhelming terror now that he'd run out of gas and was surrounded by two Titans cornering him. Edith made to launch forward when Jean grabbed onto her elbow, stopping her from moving, his grip rather firm as he unconsciously tightened his grip in fear of what might happen.

Edith went to ask what was going on when a couple of the others flew overhead and tried to rescue Tom, only to be summarily eaten as well. Their fear-riddled bodies probably attracting the Titans to them as they were crushed between boulder-sized incisors. Edith could only pray that Connie and Armin were having better luck on their end.


	12. The Struggle for Trost: I Can Hear His Heartbeat

**_"...If karma's a bitch, irony must be too...it's kinda funny when you think about it..."-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Trost City District**

Down below, the group of Titans that had pillaged their squad sat huddled around the carnage on the ground, as they gouged themselves on the cadets who had fallen to their attacks. Up on the rooftops, less than ten people remained, waiting for orders on what to do next.

A select few stood, watching their fallen comrades with disinterest as their blood splattered the walls of the villa behind them. What did it matter to them, if their classmates died? At least it wasn't them.

The need to get away encompassed all present, but if that meant scarfing their dying comrades? Not many could stomach the thought, let alone the guilt that would eat away at them.

And so it was that Jean made the decision for them, choosing that moment to guide the remaining cadets forward towards the Titan infested HQ. "LET'S GO! MAKE A BREAK FOR HQ WHILE THEIR DISTRACTED!" he called, "GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

The others followed shortly after, jumping after the tall cadet as they duck and dove around the grabby hands of the Titans in their way. The sound of fighting travelled over from the right and fuelled the cadets to drive forward.

Edith clutched to her blades as she came upon the approaching Titans; the aim was to get to HQ not engage the Titans, but they might not have a choice at this point. Her heart felt like it was in her mouth as dodged an outstretched hand, flipping over it and flying forward after the others.

A rattling noise met Edith's ears, one that she knew did not belong to her ODM gear. It was clear that the bandage around her prosthetic wasn't doing much, but there wasn't any time to try and fix it now. She could only hope that it lasted until they got to HQ; at least it was in full view now.

Running along one of the rooftops adjacent to the approaching Titans and HQ behind them, Edith listened as Marco came up next to Jean and give him the pep talk he seemed to so desperately need.

It was one of the things Edith was envious of, how Marco could so easily bare his feelings to others. It was also one of the reasons why her bedside manner was so shit, it was a good thing she was a field medic and not a civilian medic.

"JEAN! You really came through for us there, man. We owe you big time" said Marco as he ran alongside his friend.

"Huh?" Jean breathed, a look of confusion on his face.

"Don't shrug it off, I'm serious. We're alive because of you, like I said, you make a great leader"

"Easy with that crap, we're not out of the woods yet"

When the group clashed with the next group of Titans, only a few were able to make it through unscathed. Many were snatched from the air, their bodies squished like grapes as their blood flew. Edith cursed as she quickly avoided a Titan hand. Had she been any slower, she would have been Titan food.

Using the recoil in her wires, she launched herself high up in the air, far higher than the others as they all sailed towards HQ. The building was now within reach when something became abundantly clear to her. "Shit!" Edith swore.

"What?" Jean called looking up at her as they neared their target.

"I'm coming in too high, I'm gonna miss the window" Edith replied as she braced herself to latch on to the exterior, "Just keep going, I'll figure something out"

Jean didn't have a chance to reply as he smashed through one of the large coloured windows that lined the wall and rolled to a stop inside. In turn, Edith scrabbled for a hold on the stone exterior, her nails digging into the cracked exterior as she tried to calm her breathing and rid herself of the jolt she received when she had landed.

The jolt that had rattled her when she landed had done more damage to her prosthetic than she had hoped, a few of the screws holding it in place fell to the ground several metres below her. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as the others smash through the other windows. At least they made it.

As she tried to figure out what to do, a commotion within the building caught her attention. She could just barely make out Jean's voice amongst a few of the others. "...YOU COWARDS! YOU LEFT US OUT THERE ON OUR OWN! PEOPLE ARE DEAD CAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE GUTS TO DO YOUR JOB!...IT'S YOUR JOB TO DEAL WITH IT AND BACK US UP ANYWAY!"

"HIT THE DECK!" Reiner called as a Titan smashed its face into the facade.

Edith's relief was short-lived however as the group of Titans they had avoided now came thundering towards the building. "Sina!" Edith cursed as she scrambled further up the building, unwilling to use the last dregs of gas as she tried to avoid the Titans.

Screams could be heard from within the building as the Titans smashed through the walls below her. Edith was unsure if she'd gotten lucky or not; as cruel as it was, she kind of hoped that the Titans were drawn more towards the people hidden inside than her, here easy and within reach.

Her thoughts were broken by the call of her name. Looking over her shoulder, Edith saw something that would forever be imprinted in her mind. She watched with wide disbelieving eyes as a furious-looking fifteen metre punched out the two ten meters staring into HQ.  _What the fuck?_

"EDITH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Connie called as he, Armin and Mikasa flew in behind the fifteen metre.

"CAME IN TOO HIGH. WHAT'S WITH GRUMPY?!" she called as they grew closer, Mikasa crashing through the windows first.

"NO CLUE, BUT IT COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT US!"

"SERIOUSLY?"

"YEAH!"

That was all Edith was able to get out of Connie as he and Armin crashed through the windows next. Glancing over at the Titan dubbed 'Grumpy', Edith saw that he ended couldn't care less about her and not only that, he was taking out the other Titans that were swarming the building.

Glancing between Grumpy and the windows below her, an idea began to form. "I must be crazy" she muttered to herself as she quickly scrambled her way up a little more until she had a firm grip on the stone decorating the turret wall.

Once there, she glanced over her shoulder at Grumpy, checking to see that he was still there before she coiled her legs against the stone, preparing to leap. "Oh, I'm gonna die" she breathed and leapt.

It felt like she was flying, truly flying. Air rushing through her hair, her heart beating wildly as she floated above the ground free as a bird. And then reality came crashing down as gravity pulled her back down. Timing it right, she latched her ODM wires into Grumpy's forearm and used the momentum to launch herself feet first through one of the open windows.

"INCOMING!" Edith called as she flew straight into whoever was standing right next to what remained of the windows and knocked them off of their feet. The two rolled for a bit before coming to a rest near the back wall, where they lay in a groaning heap.

"Ugh! Get off!" Edith groaned from beneath the behemoth who was currently smothering her. Thankfully the person got off relatively quickly and held out a hand to pull her up once they did so. "Maria's tits! What do they feed you?" she joked, now standing upright and looking towards her make-shift landing pad. There stood Reiner rubbing his chin, sore from the sudden impact.

"Are you calling me fat?" he asked incredulously

"Yes" she deadpanned, before breaking out in a grin.

"Edith! You're okay!" said Armin as the two rejoined the others.

"More or less" she replied as she worked on tightening the bandages around her prosthetic, "Now can someone please explain what's going on with Grumpy, out there?"

* * *

"They're not gonna take this building, not with him on a rampage out there" Connie explained to the others as they sat within the confines of the supply depot.

"That's all well and good, but what's to keep it from turning on us when it's done?" Reiner asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" added Edith.

"Yeah, you're right. At least he's buying us a little time"

"Good news! Courtesy of the Military Police! And covered in a layer of dust" Jean called as he and a few others returned from their scavenge, several long wooden boxes in tow.

* * *

"Are we absolutely certain that buckshots are the way to go? Seems we may as well throw spitballs" Jean complained as he loaded up the machine arm in his hands, "I mean c'me on guys, are guns even affective?"

"Hm. I don't know, but they're bound to better than nothing" Armin replied as he focused on the blueprints in front of him, "We're looking at seven Titans in the supply room of the four metres tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo should be enough to do the trick.

Step one: lower a group into the area via lift to get the Titan's attention.

Step two: when the Titans come within range, the group fires in all four directions simultaneously blinding them. Then the hard part, the moment of truth as it were.

Step three: before the Titans have time to recover, seven of us swoop down from the ceiling and strike their vital regions.

That's it, that's the plan. It puts all our lives on the line, we screw up and we're dead. Its hell of a risk for one attack but it's our only chance. Seven people have to slay seven Titans in one blow at the same time. We're gonna need the best of us, the seven soldiers most physically gifted and adept with their pairing blades. You'll be the difference between life and death for the rest of us. I'm sorry, that's how it is"

"Seems like a solid plan" Reiner commented.

"When you get right down to it, the risk is the same for everyone. It doesn't really mater who goes" Annie agreed.

"I'm willing to be talked out of this. A half-baked strategy can't be our only option, right?" Armin muttered.

"It's a good plan Armin, quit doubting yourself" Edith replied as she clapped his shoulder and stood up along with the others, ready to put the plan into motion.

* * *

"Okay, I'm gonna ask the obvious question. Can we do this without ODM gear?" Connie asked as everyone headed down the stairs towards the supply room in the cellar.

"No problem, these guys are only four metres tall. They're weak spots are not too far above eye level" replied Reiner.

"He's right, size won't be an issue. The spot's still one metre high and ten centimetres across" added Jean.

"Back of the head, to the nape of the neck!" Sasha sang.

"Worst comes to worst, you could always shove a blade up their ass, that's the other weak spot" Reiner said sarcastically.

"Are you serious? That's news to me" Connie said, confused.

"Did I miss a day of training or something?" Sasha asked.

"Come on. Knock it off, Reiner. You want your last words to be an ass joke?" Jean griped.

* * *

Standing shoulder to shoulder with her fellow cadets, Edith stood crammed in the lift with a rifle clutched in her hands. Despite the weapon in her hands, Edith still felt naked and vulnerable, especially after wearing the ODM gear for so long.

She knew she was a pretty good shot, memories of the gun range springing to mind as someone pressed themselves close to her back, the standard M9 pistol tucked in the back of her pants, rubbing up against the cadet's rifle. She remembered the hours of gruelling practise as the professors had made them stand and fire, a prized possession taped to the target, giving them incentive.

Hours of cleaning and assembling the different pieces of the firearms. All the different types of firearms they had to memorise, all the different ways to injure someone with one. Because, as Norfolk explained, a medic had to know how to fight as well as heal. That's where his favourite saying, their unofficial motto, had come from:  _Pro omnibus cura est, ibi sunt vias ad conteram quinque._

"Good, we're still at seven" Armin whispered as the group cocked their rifles and aimed them at the Titans.

"Alright, now nice and easy" Marco encouraged as the Titans slowly focused their attention on the group using themselves as bait, "Don't lose your cool! Fire only when they're all within range! Steady..."

The Titans could almost press their eyes against the barrel of the guns and their breaths wafted over the group. Edith gagged at the smell that wafted over her, reminding her of the cadavers she had practised on during training. Death always smelt sickly sweet.

"FIRE!" Marco called as the Titan opened its mouth, baring its yellow teeth to all. The dark room exploded in a smattering of bullets and light. The smell of gunpowder and burning flesh permeated, filling the room with its stench.

At the same time that the group in the lift fired ruthlessly at the Titans, the seven who were lodged in the rafters, dropped down with their blades aimed to kill. No ODM gear was needed as they launched themselves forward, the promise of murder in their eyes. There was no remorse shown for the beasts that stood before them, they had to die and that was that.

"SASHA AND CONNIE MISSED!" called Bertodlt as the two remaining Titans turned on the two.

"GET THE FUCK BACK!" Jean called as Sasha screamed and jumped to the side, just barely dodging the attack from the Titan.

Mikasa and Annie launched themselves forward, their blades at the ready as they took down the last two Titans. They each landed softly next to their kills as everyone breathed a sign of relief. "They're all dead, start loading up the supplies" Jean called to the group in the lift, much to their relief.

"It worked!" Armin cried happily before he and Edith quickly grabbed onto Marco's arms, holding him upright as he swooned.

* * *

Once everyones supplies were fully restocked, they made their way out to continue with the original mission. Edith joined Mikasa on the rooftop overlooking the street, where she stood stock still watching something down below.

"Mikasa? What are you looking at?" Edith asked, following the younger girl's eye line before gasping at the sight before her.

"What are you doing? We have to leave, now!" said Armin as he joined the two.

"Look down there" Mikasa replied without looking at Armin.

In the street down below, the fifteen metre Titan that had so valiantly protected them against the oncoming slaw of Titans earlier that day, now lay broken and battered amongst the ruins of a home. Several of the Titans that he had been fighting were now feasting on him as he gave a weak roar of pain.

"Cannibalism?" Armin breathed, "Can he not regenerate like the others?"

"This may sound stupid, but I was hoping he'd be the key for us. That he'd help mankind break the cycle, turn the tables just long enough to give us just a little ray of hope" Mikasa mused.

"She's right. He's too valuable to just let die, there's too much we can learn from him. I think it's perfectly clear to ward the scavengers off of him. He's no good to us picked apart" agreed Reiner as he, Annie, Bertodlt and Jean joined the trio on the roof.

"Are you out of your mind? We've got a path out of this nightmare and you wanna stay?" Jean asked incredulously.

"Think about it. Having an abnormal as an ally would be an incredible advantage, right? A cannon's got nothing on a Titan who likes to pick apart its own kind" Annie added.

"D-Do you hear yourself? He's not like a new friend!"

"Put it this way Jean, that thing clearly has some level of intelligence which begs the question, do  _you_ want to suffer its wrath should we leave it here?" Edith interjected, her arms crossed as she questioned the boy. Jean opened his mouth to reply when Armin called out, his gaze locked on the next Titan strolling down the street.

"Oh no! It's the one that ate Thomas!" Armin cried. As if the fifteen metre had heard him, it strode forward, mindless of the Titans clinging to it, and ran straight towards the abnormal that had killed Thomas earlier that day. The Titan shrieked at the top of its lungs as it approached, the roar shrill and boisterous as it leapt at the Abnormal, fangs extended.

Having lost both arms in his attempt to reach the Abnormal, it used only its muscular legs to drive itself forward and bite down on the Abnormal's neck, teeth sinking into it nape as it did so. "Holy crap!" Jean breathed as he and the others watched on. The fifteen metre held off his attackers, this time using the Abnormal as his weapon as he swung it around by the neck.

"What was that you were saying? Cause I think it's a moot point now" Jean questioned as the Titan dropped the Abnormal and released a roar into the sky. Edith watched on as the stumps of his arms steamed and the sound of bones clicked back into place, healing themselves. The Titan seemed to be relatively okay for the most part, at least until it fell face first onto the concrete below with an earth shattering thud.

"Alright, enough of this. Let's leave now while we can. We're lucky the ugly bastard didn't get bored or we'd have been next on the menu" Jean grumbled as he turned away. Edith barely registered his grumblings as she stared transfixed on the scene below.  _No way. No fucking way._

"MIKASA!" Armin called as Mikasa shot down to the Titan carcass on the ground.

"Is it just me, or did Eren just pop out of the Titan?" Edith asked, aware that what she had just said had sounded crazy.

"It's not just you" Reiner replied.

"HE'S ALIVE! HE'S ALIVE!" Mikasa wailed as she clutched him close, his heart beating in her ear.

"Rose! This is insane"

"You're telling me"

Down below, Mikasa sat knee-deep in the smoking Titan carcass as she clutched onto Eren's unconscious form. Despite her shock at Eren's sudden appearance, Edith's mind began race at a hundred miles an hour as she processed what she was seeing.

Not only did he have both arms intact, Edith noticed, but he also appeared to be fully recovered from the head injury he had received earlier that day.  _But then why wasn't he waking up? Was it a side effect? How the hell was he a Titan?_

"Did Eren...do all this?"


	13. The Struggle for Trost: Whereabouts of His Left Arm

**_"...Holy shit, I knew Eren had anger issues. But this? I never would've guessed...I don't think anyone could've"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring, 850  
** **Trost City District**

**_"The Titan assault on Trost left us reeling, owing at least in part to the Scout Regiment' s absence at the time. The military casualties were profound. Ironically, they'd embarked on a reconnaissance mission beyond the Wall that very morning._ **

**_The Scouts primary function is to establish bases of expansion, acting as a spearhead for human knowledge. Theirs is a solemn and dangerous honour. Thanks to the ingenuity of its exemplary members, the regiment's survival rates have improved._ **

**_That said, excursions into long relinquished territories still commonly result in a death toll exceeding 30%. A stark illustration of the disparity of our own strength and that of the Titans..." -_ ** **_ The Fall of Rose, _ ** **_Armin Arlert_ **

_Eren felt like he was trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake. The walls around him were pink and fleshy, the smell suffocating him confirmed his suspicions. Looking down, the broken bodies of his fallen comrades floated by, their faces forever frozen in fear._

_Eren let out a hair-raising scream as he realised where he was. A stomach. Backing away slowly through the waist-high sludge, he snapped around when he bumped into something. His wide eyes locking on a body._

_'This...this isn't real...we were ready...we were ready! We hit the books...we trained! These things weren't a mystery to us anymore...we knew how to beat them! I survived!" Eren wept._

_"Help...me! It's so...hot!...I need to go home!...Mum'll worry...I know she will...help me...please..." gasped a floating head._

_Eren could only watch in horror as the head sunk below the surface, never to be seen again. "How has it come to this? Why has everything been taken from us? Our lives, our dreams, everything..." he continued to weep as he too slipped below the surface, his bad arm outstretched._

_"Damn you! Damn you all to hell! I refuse to die like this! I'll drive them all out! I'll kill them with my bare hands! Do you hear me?! With my bare hands!" He felt odd, like his anger had taken on a physical form and he supposed it had, for it was all that encompassed him, only a single thought stood out in his mind. Kill the Titans._

_The transformed Eren burst forth from the old Titan, spraying its guts into the air and painting the buildings as he did so. His Titan form stood at a tall fifteen metres and howled its anguish into the air, stomping down hard on the Titan who had eaten him._

_A small Abnormal entered the scene, catching Eren's attention. All of his anger and rage seemed focused in that one punch as it slammed straight through the Abnormal's tiny mouth and out the other side._

_'I'll kill every last one of you' he thought as he threw the smoking corpse to the ground where he proceeded to continuously stomp on the small creature. 'Get up, get up. Let me kill you again and again and again. You're mine, all mine, all of you..."_

"...You're all gonna die" Eren muttered still half asleep, the warm arms he was wrapped in tightened at the words.

"...Eren?" Arming murmured, unwilling to admit that his brother was scaring him.

"You're all right?" Mikasa asked over her shoulder as Eren lost the glazed-over look in his eyes, now fully awake.

"Look at me. Hey, Eren, can you move? Can you hear me? Say something!" Armin questioned frantically,"Listen, you've gotta tell them everything! They're terrified but they'll understand"

"Armin? What...?" Eren muttered, questions running through his head as his attention was grabbed by the mutterings in the crowd before them.

_What the hell are they talking about? What is this? Why are all their blades pointed at us? Those are meant for taking down Titans, what's going on? And what's with that look? Are they terrified...of me?_

* * *

"I WANT ALL YOU CADETS ON STANDBY! LOOK SHARP!" ordered Norfolk before making his way over to the other able-bodied medics who were making the rounds. Out of the way sat a group of the remaining young cadets from the 104th cadet corps, the group taking up no more than two picnic tables.

Each seemed to be weighed down with what they had witnessed that day, with what they had done. Unable to look anyone in the eye, unable to face those still naive in their beliefs. Most of them didn't appear to be physically hurt, a few scrapes here and there. The worst was Edith who had a couple of bruises beginning to bloom on her forehead and left cheek from her rough landing at HQ.

"...If we hadn't found the gas, we'd have never gotten out of Trost" Connie explained over Edith's soft snores as he stared down at his hands on the table. To his left Edith rested with her head on his shoulder, taking a much needed nap; in front of him stood Krista and Ymir, the two being the only ones with energy left in them.

On the next table over sat the remaining cadets and while they weren't taking part in the conversation just yet, but they were still listening in as Connie explained what had happened. "Basically we got lucky, that's it"

"That sounds terrible. I'm so sorry. We volunteered to run supplies out to everyone, but the situation was so bad..." trailed Krista.

"We even found some gas we were gonna dole out to you guys, but then everything went to shit" Ymir added.

"So you're saying everyone who isn't here now didn't uh, y'know..."

"Yeah..."sighed Connie.

"Wait what about Mikasa?" Ymir asked.

"No, no. She's good, she made it in after us, with the group that Jean led"

"Hey, Jean!" Ymir called turning to the other table, "Where in the world is Mikasa? She get hurt or what?"

"Hey, talk to us" added Connie.

Jean just glanced up at the pair before taking a swig of water. "I'd tell you if I could, they slapped us with a gag order" Jean mumbled.

"Woah, you're joking right?" Connie said.

"That's nuts" added Ymir.

 _"They're_ nuts if they think people aren't going to talk. Word'll get out and when it does all hell's gonna break loose. Well that is if we survive"

Norfolk chose that moment to make his over to the solemn cadets occupying the tables. All those present rushed into tired salutes including Edith who was jostled awake by Connie's sudden movement. "At ease" he said, his gaze locking on the tired form of Edith as he continued to speak, "Brown, get your ass moving! Your on clean-up duty!"

"Sir!" She yawned, her hand still stuck in the salute as Norfolk turned on his heel.

Taking a deep breath, she groaned into her hands before stumbling to her feet, tripping slightly as she tried to disentangle herself from the picnic table. "Are they really sending you out there, already? Can they do that?" Krista asked concerned as she watched her classmate hid another yawn behind her hand.

"Mm-hm, course they can. Lord knows I'd rather be picking shrapnel outta people, but we're just rookies which means we're expendable. And that means we get stuck with crap duty like clean-up and shit sheets" explained Edith as she checked the bandages on her prosthetic and made sure that her harness was secure. "I'll guess I'll see you guys later, or not" she waved as she left, too tired to care about the looks she received as she made her way towards the other medics.

* * *

"CADETS EREN JAEGER, MIKASA ACKERMAN, AND ARMIN ARLERT! THE THREE OF YOU HAVE JOINTLY COMMITTED AN ACT OF HIGH TREASON! WHETHER OR NOT THE EXECUTION IS SWIFT IS A RESULT THAT DEPENDS ON YOU!" roared Weilman from behind the firing squad.

"What?" breathed Eren as he came to terms with what was going on. They appeared to be in a courtyard, Armin was holding him and Mikasa stood in front. Behind them stood a wall, both blocking their exit and granting some protection

"ANY ATTEMPT TO MOVE FROM WHERE YOU STAND NOW, ANYTHING I DEEM THE LEAST BIT SUSPICIOUS WILL BE MET WITH CANON FIRE! DO NOT TEST ME! ANSWER CAREFULLY, EREN JEAGER WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU?! HUMAN OR TITAN?!"

 _What is that supposed to mean?_ Eren thought as he looked away from Weilman, unable to meet the man's intense glare,  _Why are they all glaring at me like that? It's like...like they're looking at a monster...Oh God, is that what they think?_

"I'M SORRY SIR, I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Eren replied much to Weilman's disbelief.

"Son of a bitch is playing innocent! ANSWER ME DAMN YOU! EVASION WILL GET YOU NOWHERE! DON'T TRY TO STALL AND PRETEND IGNORANCE! YOU WON'T GET A CHANCE! YOU'LL BE BLOWN TO HELL BEFORE YOU CAN ASSUME YOUR TRUE FORM!" Weilman thundered.

"What true form?"

"PLEASE! SCORES SAW IT HAPPEN! YOU EMERGED FROM THE CARCASS OF A FALLEN TITAN IN FULL VIEW OF YOUR COMRADES! A CREATURE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN, ABILITY OR ALLEGIANCE HAS SLIPPED THROUGH AND INFILTRATED WALL ROSE AND THAT CREATURE IS YOU!

UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES YOUR BEING SANCTIONED BY HIS MAJESTY IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. YOU'RE A RISK AND I'M WELL WITHIN MY RIGHTS TO ELIMINATE YOU. I WILL NOT LET THE SITUATION STAND! EVERY MOMENT I SQUANDER MULLING OVER YOUR SUPPOSED INNOCENCE, PUTS US ALL AT RISK FROM AN ATTACK BY THE ARMOURED TITAN! FOR ALL WE KNOW, YOUR ATTACK WAS A DIVERSION FOR EXACTLY THAT PURPOSE!

I'M SORRY! HUMANITY'S FATE HANGS IN THE BALANCE AND I CANNOT WASTE ANYMORE TIME OR MANPOWER ON YOU! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! MY CONSCIOUS WILL NOT FALTER TO WATCH YOU DIE!"

"Nor should it" added Rico Brzenska, "As soldiers they all know the price of their position. If they're this committed to defiance under threat of death, so be it. They won't be persuaded, as you say, it's just a waste of time"

"Sir! Please! This may be our best chance! We'll use far less artillery if he's in human form!" cried a soldier.

"Excuse me!" Mikasa called, not raising her voice. Though there was no need to, all eyes were on her. "I wouldn't not while I'm standing here. Unless anyone's feeling up to the task, in which case, well I'm ready to demonstrate my own technique on you and every last inch of your traitorous flesh" she warned, her blades sitting ready in her hands.

"Sir, there's something you should know" interjected a soldier from Weilman's right, "she was assigned to the elites fresh out of training. Equal to a hundred soldiers easily, if we lost her it'd be quite the tragedy"

"Okay, somebody talk to me now. What the fuck is all this?" Eren demanded.

"Mikasa! You can't take them all on!" Armin cried as he jumped to his feet, ignoring Eren's demands "Even if you took down a few, there's nowhere left for you to run!"

"Whoever comes at Eren deals with me. I'll take on the  _entire regiment_ if I have to! I don't give a  _damn_ what they try to throw at us!" she replied, her protective side rearing its head.

"This isn't the only way! They're just scared, they don't understand what's happening. You just need to calm down and talk it out"

 _Am I the only one here who doesn't think I'm a Titan?_ Eren thought as he listened to Armin and Mikasa argue.  _Damn it! Why can't I remember how I got here? I'm too weak to stand up and if I say the wrong thing they'll blow us to smithereens. Is this it for me? Killed by people? What was that he said about me coming out of a Titan carcass in front of everyone? Is he insane? Why is no one making any sense? That was all just a dream...or no...my sleeve, my arm. Am I really one of them? That's not possible!...Is it?_

"ONE MORE TIME! ARE YOU A HUMAN BEING OR A TITAN?!" Weilman called, interrupting Eren's thoughts.  _I-I don't know what to say. My life's not the only one at stake...but I mean, I've always been one of you._

"I'M HUMAN!" Eren called out as all eyed turned to him. Silence greeted his words, they did not seem to help.

"So you say, I'm left with no choice. Forgive me, when push comes to shove, all of us are monsters" muttered Weilman and raised his hand in the air, much to the trio's horror as he signalled for the wall-mounted canons to fire.

"Armin! Head for the wall! I've got Eren!" Mikasa called as she dropped her blades and sprinted back towards the pair behind her.

"Wait! No!" protested Eren as Mikasa hoisted him up in her arms and ran towards the wall behind them.

Instinct seemed to kick in as his eyes locked on the basement key hanging from his neck, pieces of memories flashed before his eyes as he fell from Mikasa's grip. He ran towards Armin, determination covering his face as he pulled Mikasa with him, his hand reached out and pulled Armin's to him, sheltering the two within his arms.

Down came Weilman's arm, sentencing them to their deaths. The bang of canon fire echoed throughout the city, the resounding crash having been heard as far as Wall Rose. With each of his siblings tucked under an arm, he bit down had on his hand resulting in a large flash of light and heat as he transformed.

His fleshy arm reached up to catch the incoming canon ball, his ribs enveloping his surrogate siblings as he placed himself in harm's way. The creature that emerged from the smoke seemed like one out of a nightmare as screams rang out through the courtyard.

"Dear God..." breathed Weilman as he locked gazes with the lone eye of the Titan.


	14. The Struggle for Trost: Response

**_"...The Wallists always preached about Judgement Day coming for us all...there was a lot less blood than I was expecting..."-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Wall Rose & Trost City District**

Garbed in a mash-up of medical and ODM gear, Edith and the other field medics wandered the streets, collecting the bodies that littered the way. They hadn't made it very far, there were many corpses and only so many medics; they could only do so much until the civilian medics and cadets were given the all clear to come and help.

 _This is going to take a while._ Edith thought as she took her blade to another pile of Titan vomit plastered against a wall. Since Titans had no digestive tracks, this was really the only way for the bodies to be expelled, in a big piping hot, stinking mess. It was gag-inducing.

Slicing through the outer layer of the substance took a fair amount of time, but once you were in, the bodies spilled forth like yolk from a poached egg. It was the stomach acid and stench inside that you had to watch out for.

Quickly darting out of the way once the outer layer began to give way, she and the older medic she had been paired with began to pull the bodies from the pile and load them into a spare cart that had been lying around. Once the unknown soldiers were identified and the cart was full, they would take the bodies back to the HQ where the pyres were already burning before setting out once more. It was tiring work, but it had to be done.

They had just finished loading half of a cadet into the cart when the sound of canon fire was heard from within the Walls. Snapping towards the sound, Edith could see Titan steam rising from above the Walls.  _What the...?_ She thought as she left behind her superior to get a closer look. Latching her wires into the side of the bell tower next to them, she was able to see what was going on in the courtyard, on the other side.

"Holy shit..." she breathed as the other medic soon joined her, curious as well. On the other side of the wall stood the upper half of a Titan. Little flesh covered its head and outstretched shoulder whilst the rest of the skeleton could be seen stuck in the ground. Underneath the Titan sat Mikasa and Armin, looks of surprise and shock written across their faces. Eren was nowhere in sight.

"What the hell..." breathed the man next to her as Edith continued to watch wide-eyed and slack jawed as the singular eye rolled around in the Titan's head before it disappeared all together. The sound of bones breaking met her ears as the form began to crumble.

Steam poured from the nape of the Titan as Eren burst outwards but remained stuck fast to the carcass, his legs still stuck steadfast to hot Titan flesh. With an almighty pull, Eren freed his legs and tumbled to the ground, immersing himself in the smoke.

Edith was unable to hear what happened next as the Titan form crumbled to the ground and the trio remained hiding within the steam.  _What will you do now, Eren?_ Edith thought as the minutes seemed to drag on with no sign of any life from the trio.

Finally a figure emerged from the smoke with their hands in the air. It was Armin. Edith would recognise that blonde mop anywhere. "IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR TRUE FORM MONSTER? I DON'T BUY IT! I'LL GIVE THE SIGNAL TO FIRE, I MEAN IT!" Weilman called.

"EREN IS NOT A FOE OF HUMANITY! WE'RE WILLING TO CO-OPRATE WITH MILITARY COMMAND AND SHARE EVERYTHING WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT HIS POWERS!" Armin replied, hands still raised.

"YOUR PLEAS FALL ON DEAF EARS! HE REVEALED HIS TRUE FORM AND BECAUSE OF THAT THREAT, HE CANNOT LEAVE HERE ALIVE! IF YOU INSISTS HE'S NOT AN ENEMY OF OURS, SHOW ME PROOF! OR I WILL BLAST HIM BACK TO WHATEVER NIGHTMARE HE CRAWLED OUT OF!"

"YOU DON'T NEED ANY PROOF! THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE PERCEIVE HIM TO BE!"

"WHAT?!"

"REPORTS SAY HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS SAW HIM AND THOSE WHO WERE THERE SAY THEY SAW HIM FIGHTING  _OTHER_ TITANS! AND THAT MEANS THEY SAW HIM GET SWARMED BY THE TITANS AS WELL! TO PUT IT PLAINLY, THE TITANS SAW HIM THE SAME WAY THEY SEE EACH AND EVERY HUMAN BEING: AS PREY! IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW ELSE YOU MAY LOOK AT IT! THAT IS AN IRREFUTABLE FACT!"

The soldiers within the courtyard seemed to agree as they lowered their weapons until Weilman spoke up again, panic clear on his voice even this far out. "PREPARE TO ATTACK! DON'T BE FOOLED BY HIS CUNNING LIES! THE TITAN'S BEHAVIOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN A COMPLICATED MYSTERY TO US, I WOULDN'T PUT IT PASSED HIM TO ASSUME HUMAN FORM! SPEAKING OUR LANGUAGE...IN AN ATTEMPT TO DECEIVE US. I REFUSE TO LET THEM CONTINUE THIS BEHAVIOUR!" The soldiers retrained their weapons on the cadets before them, their fears clouding this judgement.

Edith watched on, white-knuckled, as Armin saluted the officers before him with a look of anger she had only ever worn once or twice before (usually when someone touched his straw hat) and began to speak once more.

"I AM A SOLDIER AND I HAVE DEDICATED MY WHOLE HEART TO THE RESTORATION OF HUMANITY, SIR! NOTHING COULD MAKE ME PROUDER! DYING FOR SUCH A NOBLE CAUSE! IF WE WERE TO USE HIS TITAN ABILITY AND COMBINE IT WITH THE MAN POWER WE HAVE LEFT, I BELIEVE WE CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE WE CAN RETAKE THIS CITY! FOR HUMANITY'S GLORY, WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE LEFT TO LIVE! I WILL ADVOCATE HIS STRATEGIC VALUE!"

"Holy shit, that kid's got balls" breathed the medic next to Edith, "He's almost scarier than the Titan kid"

"Yeah, no kidding" Edith mumbled.

Several things happened at once. Mikasa gripped tight to her blades, ready to strike at anyone who came near, Eren got ready to bite down on his hand & transform once again, the soldiers surrounding them gripped tight to their weapons & kept them trained on their targets and Weilman who raised his arm once again, ready to give the signal to the canon operators to fire on his command.

And then all at once it stopped. No shots were fired, no blades were used and no canons were discharged. "That's enough. You should really do something about your nervous disposition, Captain Weilman" stated Commander Pixis as he lowered the arm he had in his grip.

"C-Commander Pixis!" Weilman stuttered, unable to believe his luck.

"Can you not see this soldier's heartfelt salute? I've only just arrived, but I'm quite aware of our situation. Gather our reinforcements, I think we could do these young soldiers the favour of hearing them out" said Pixis as Armin fell to his knees, tears of relief gathering in the corners of his eyes.

* * *

**_"...According to reports from the Scout Regiment it was anticipated that the Titans would appear from the South. These reports were proven correct when they attack Shiganshina district in 845, located on the Southern side of Wall Maria. Therefore, it was summarised that their next most likely target would be the fortified city of Trost on the Southern side of Wall Rose._ **

**_Dot Pixis, the commanding officer for the Southern territory was the man in charge of the Trost district defence. He was given full authority over preserving humanities most vital remaining territory. The man was also notorious for being genuinely eccentric..."-_ ** **_The Fall of Rose_ ** **_, Armin Arlert_ **

Commander Dot Pixis stood on the edge of the wall between the two wall-mounted canons as he looked out over the ruins of Trost city District, only the field medics could be seen flitting about the place as they collected their fallen comrades.

Behind him stood Armin and Mikasa, both of them refusing to take their eyes off the man in front of them. Meanwhile, Eren sat on his knees, still too weak to stand and barely able to keep his eyes open, let alone focus on the Commander. The silence seemed to stretch on as Pixis mulled over what the trio had told him.

"...That's that. So all we have to do is visit this cellar? And that should clear everything up?" Pixis asked.

"Yes sir. Well, at least I think so" Eren tiredly replied.

"For now, there is no way to validate all of the claims you have made. For now I'll just catalogue them in here. With that said I can usually tell the difference between the arrogant and the sincere, which is why I personally guarantee your safety" The trio breathed a sigh of relief at the admission.

At that moment the sound of ODM gear met their ears, turning to the noise as one they watched as the person connected to the gear landed on the wall with a small stumble. It was Edith. She hadn't noticed them yet, if her actions were anything to go by. She stood there for a few seconds slapping her cheeks as she muttered to herself, telling herself to wake up.

"Cadet! State your name and business here!" Pixis demanded as he turned on the girl. His gaze wandering over the medical attire she wore over her cadet uniform.

"Sir! I'm Edith Brown, sir!" Edith responded as she snapped into a salute, colouring slightly as she realised she wasn't alone. Her gaze wandered over the trio who were watching on, before returning to the Commander, her posture never once faulting, "I'm here to retrieve supplies from the storage unit, sir!"

"Supplies? For what?"

"For the pyres, sir. We've cleared most of the main road and are moving onto the side streets"

"Carry on"

"Sir!"

Pixis then returned to his conversation with the trio as Edith made her way over to the storage unit a few feet away. Giving the door a good shove, she opened it with a grunt before going to retrieve a container of lighter fluid and an axe. She tied the axe into place above her ODM gear at her back and carried the container of lighter fluid out with her.

Once the door to the storage unit was shoved closed again, she made her way back over to the quartet who were discussing Eren's newfound abilities. Skirting the group, she made her way to the edge of the wall and made to jump when Pixis called her name.

"Brown!" he called, catching the girl's attention.

"Sir!" she saluted as she spun on her heel and faced the group.

"You're a part of the 104th cadet corps, correct?"

"Yes, sir!"

"What is your assessment of Arlert and Jeager's skills? Can they be trusted?"

"Arlert has displayed his intelligence on more than one occasion and while Jeager is about as hard headed and stubborn as they come, his heart is in the right place, sir"

"Good, dismissed"

"Sir!" With that, Edith clutched to the container in her hands and leapt backwards off of the wall, much to the surprise of the trio. She could almost feel their eyes on her as she leapt, their quiet curses following her as she flew through the air.

Once she had reached the peak of her arc, she twisted her body around so that she was diving head first towards the ground. Her hair whipped around in the air behind her and she was glad that she still had her mono-goggles on as she flew parallel to the Wall.

When she became level with the bell tower, she shot out her wires and flung herself back up into the air, enjoying the feeling of flying as she sailed above the city like a bird. She clutched tightly to the cargo in her hands as she searched for towering smoke of the burning pyres.

* * *

Back on top of the wall Pixis continued, unaffected by the female cadet "You're Cadet Armin Arlert, correct?"

"Yes sir!" saluted Armin, still slightly caught off guard by Edith's abrupt departure.

"You mentioned a plan to harness this so called Titan ability and then utilise your friend's power to take the city. Do you believe it could work or were you grasping at straws to try and save your hides?"

"Uh well, both Commander. I was going to suggest that Eren using his strength as a Titan could lift that giant boulder and use it to block the wrecked gate. That was the best idea I was able to come up with on the spot. I-I just wanted to make everyone see how Eren's ability might be part of the solution to the problem we all face"

"Hm"

"Granted I was pretty desperate to survive"

"Desperate to survive? That's as credible a reason as any, son" replied Pixis as he took a swig from his flask, "What do you say, Cadet Jeager?"

"Say sir? Eren questioned.

"The hole. Are you pretty sure you could plug it up son?"

"Well I, I don't know...It's possible, but at the moment I don't understand my power any more than you do. It's just I'd feel irresponsible giving you an answer...cause I don't really know"

"Ah yes, my apologies. I asked you the wrong question. Are you willing to, Cadet Jeager or not?"

"...I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know if I can seal that hole, but I'll damn well try!"


	15. The Struggle for Trost: Idol

**_"Crazy works. Crazy really works...there's really nothing more you can say..."-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
** **Trost City District**

By the next morning, Edith was knackered. Besides the small nap she taken the evening before, she hadn't really had a time to stop and rest, surviving on the jerky made from the boar that Sasha and co and caught a year or two ago. Sure it was a little chewy and musty, but meat was meat, so who was she to complain? It's not like everyone got their fair share of meat on the daily anyway.

So here she stood practically dead on her feet along with the other gathered cadets and Garrison members. Along with many others, she couldn't help but feel wary about the proposed operation to retake Trost. She shifted on her feet as her left hand absentmindedly traced the scar across her torso, memories of Maria's failed operation surfacing. She stared up at Commander Pixis and Eren who stood atop Wall Rose waiting for Pixis to begin his spiel.

It was sometime in the wee hours of the morning when the field medics had been called back behind Wall Rose, many reeking of death and smoke. The group had gathered together off to the side where they leisurely ate a meagre breakfast of dried fruits and ration bars. The other cadets gave them a wide berth; either from the tiredness they exuded through sharp glares and snappy tongues or the blood splattered across their figures. Edith wasn't sure, but she was glad for the brief peace.

"ATTENTION!" roared Pixis, his toes hanging over the edge of the wall and freezing all in their tracks,"TAKE NOTE, THE BLUEPRINT OF THE TROST RECOVERY OPERATION IS THIS: OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO RESEAL THE HOLE. YES, TOU HEARD RIGHT. WHAT'S MORE IT WILL BE DONE MANUALLY!"

"What?...But that can't be done! It's impossible! We don't have the tech!" Marco breathed in disbelief.

"AS FOR HOW THE TASK WILL BE DONE, THAT'S WHERE THIS FELLOW COMES IN! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE CADET EREN JEAGER. DON'T LET APPEARANCE DECEIVE YOU, THIS YOUNG MAN IS IN FACT THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT OF CUTTING EDGE SCIENCE. FANTASTIC AS THIS MAY SOUND, CADET JEAGER POSSESS THE ABILITY TO FULLY FORM AND CONTROL A TITAN BODY AT WILL!

RECALL THE MASSIVE BOULDER ROUGHLY A LEAGUE FROM THE GATE. HAVING ASSUMED TITAN FORM, CADET JEAGER WILL HOIST SAID BOULDER ON HIS BACK, SCHLEP TO THE HOLE AND VOILA! AND THIS IS WHERE YOU ALL COME IN! YOUR JOB WILL BE TO DEFEND HIM! YES! DEFEND A TITAN AGAINST HIS OWN KIND!"

* * *

Off to the side, near the Trost side of the Wall Armin stood with Mikasa and two of the Garrison lieutenants as they hashed out their plan of attack. "...What do you mean, we don't actually need to fight them?" the lieutenant asked.

"There's an easier way" replied Armin, "Sorry, I know it's not my place to interrupt, I meant no disrespect"

"It's alright, just go on with what you were saying"

"Right. See whatever else is going on around them, Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected in the corner away from the breach, we could lure the Titans out of Eren's path; we could be discreet about moving the boulder and he also won't have to slow his pace while we fight the others off of him. Since the Titans will all be in one area we can pick them off in canon fire without incurring casualties of our own.

Now I'm not suggesting we leave Eren defenceless, it'd be too risky. We'd need a modest band of elites to act as his body guards. There's no way of knowing how many Titans will come through the wall while he's trying to patch it up, so his security detail need to be able to handle them"

"Easy enough I think. We can reorganise the plan around that"

"Thing is, we're making a huge assumption here. Namely that in full-on Titan mode, Eren will be strong enough to move the rock. I mean to be perfectly honest there's very little reason for us to suppose he can. I have my doubts, serious ones"

"As do I. Sending people to their doom on a whim isn't a tactic I'm fond of, uncertainties have killed too many already. But the Commander's right, let's do this"

"Agreed" added the second lieutenant, "We're working on the clock here. Titans are still lumbering into Trost as we speak. There are already maybe more than we can handle, frankly. The longer we wait, the worse our chances of succes become"

"And it goes without saying, the better chances they have, they'll bust through Wall Rose and wreak untold havoc"

"There's something else too, even the bravest of us can't indefinitely bottle our fear, not before something gives"

* * *

Mutterings ran through the crowd as they took in the plan, many unable to believe what had just been said. A few tried to leave, forcing themselves through the people so that they could get home to their families instead.

"Oh God..." Edith breathed stumbling slightly backwards into Reiner who placed his hands on her shoulders steadying her when she did so. Like the others, she couldn't quite believe what the Commander was proposing. But is was those who were a part of the failed Wall Maria retake, that knew what he was really asking of them.

"ANYONE WISHING TO LEAVE WILL BY MY PERSONAL ORDER, WILL NOT BE CHARGED WITH TREASON!" thundered Pixis, blocking out the commotion in the square and overriding Weilman's call for death to deserters. "THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN A TITAN FIRSTHAND WILL NOT BE EXPECTED TO REVISIT SUCH HORROR AGAIN! WHOMEVER THIS APPLIES TO, YOU MAY LEAVE WITH MY BLESSING! ADDITIONALLY ANYONE WITH FAMILY OR LOVED ONES THEY WOULD SPARE FROM THE SAME TRAUMA MAY LEAVE ALSO. THE CROWN WILL CONTINUE TO RECOGNISE YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK!"

Scores of people began to leave, many of them in the older generations. But Edith stuck fast, whether due to a sense of duty or just out of fear, she didn't know. But she stayed and it would be something she would never regret.

"NOW THINK BACK FOUR YEARS AGO, NAMELY THE OPERATION TO RETAKE WALL MARIA. I BRING IT UP BECAUSE YOU ALL DESERVE TO HAVE YOUR SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED! OFFICIALLY WE LABELLED IT RECONIASSANCE, BUT IN FACT AS MOST OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW, IT WAS LITTLE MORE THAN A PURGE. A THINLY DISGUISED EXERCISE IN POPULATION CONTROL.

WE KNEW THIS IN OUR HEARTS, OF COURSE WE DID. YET WE TURNED A BLIND EYE, WE SUPPORTED THE STATE SPONSORED MYTH BECAUSE THE DEATHS OF OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS ALLOWED US TO SURVIVE. PURE AND SIMPLE. THE GUILT IS OURS, WE SHARE THE BLAME, ALL OF US.

THE CITIZENS OF WALL MARIA SUSTAINS THEMSELVES ON THE WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER OF THE REFUGEES WHO'D FLOWN TO US FOR HELP. BUT TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY IS IT NOT? IF WALL MARIA FALLS, THE POPULATION SUCCUMBS TO A WHOLE OTHER ORDER OF MAGNITUDE. THE LANDS SURVIVING WALL SINA WOULDN'T SUPPORT HALF THE PEOPLE NOW LIVING! IF WE'RE WIPED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH, THE CULPRITS WILL NOTS BE THE TITANS, I ASSURE YOU! OH NO! WE'LL HAVE DONE IT TO OURSELVES. IF A LINE ISN;T DRAWN NOW, IT WON'T BE DRAWN AT ALL. IF WE MUST DIE, LET US DIE HERE!

NOT ONCE IN THIS CENTURY HAS MANKIND RISEN ABOVE THE TITANS! THEIR EVERY CRAVE AND BLOODTHIRSTY ADVANCE HAS LEFT A WAKE OF UNBELIEVABLE DAMAGES FOR US. LIVES TAKE, TERRITORY ABANDONED. HOWEVER, SHOULD WE SUCCEED WE'LL MAKE HISTORY!

TODAY IS THE DAY! LANDS TAKEN BY OUR GREATEST ENEMY, WILL BE RECLAIMED! FOR THE FIRST TIME WE WILL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS NOT TO RUN, BUT TO MEET THE TITANS HEAD ON AND WIN!

NOW IT MAY SEEM AN INSIGNIFICANT PLOT OF LAND COMPARED TO THE VAST LANDS OF FORMER GLORY LONG ABANDONED. BUT AS A SYMBOL, AS AN IDEA, THE TROST REGAIN SHALL STAND AS A RECLAMATION OF PRIDE AND HOPE BEYOND MEASURE. A LEAP GREATER THAN WE HAVE EVER TAKEN!"

* * *

"DON'T BE A HERO! JUST FOCUS ON LURING THE TITANS ON OUR CORNER OF TOWN!" called the Garrison captain, his voice echoing out across the hordes of people. Down on the wall face, Edith hung just out of Titan reach, her eyes never leaving the hordes below. She tightened her grip on the pack strapped of extra gas canisters on her shoulders as the beasts began to jump to try and reach them.

"IF YOU DON'T NEED TO, DON'T ENGAGE!" Across the city the green signal flare could be seen over by where the giant boulder was situated. All of a sudden, a familiar burst of light ignited the sky and Titan steam exploded from the tiny figure of Eren Jeager as he transformed into a beast of nightmares.

Edith could only watch on from her spot on the wall as Eren's Titan form towered over the buildings and let out an earth-shattering roar that almost seemed to pierce the heavens. Terror soon filled Edith as she watched Eren become consumed by the beast he had transformed into.

The green-eyed beast ignored the boulder in front of him and instead turned on the squad ordered to protect him. An almighty crash was heard as Eren sent a punch straight at Mikasa, any trace of her brother was lost behind those glowing green eyes.


	16. The Struggle for Trost: Wound

_**"No plan survives its first draft, that was something we learnt well…it's a bloody good thing we can adapt…or we'd never had made it"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850,**   
**Retake Wall Rose Operation, Trost City District**

"…We've managed to corral most of the Titans into the corner furtherest from the breach. Combat has been avoided as much as possible, but still 20% of the forces are lost" the lieutenant informed the Commander as they walked the length of Rose.

"Not lost. They did not die of losing their way. They were sent to their deaths by me. This is the threshold of our extinction, soldiers and if my actions ensure mankind survival, history may call me 'Butcher' all at once"

* * *

Mikasa dodged the punch headed her way, rebounding off of the building's exterior and landing on the bridge of Eren's nose. "STAND DOWN, ACKERMAN! THAT'S AN ORDER!" called her commanding officer as Mikasa wrapped her hand around Eren's fringe ready to hang on for dear life if she had to.

"EREN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE SOMEWHERE! I KNOW YOU RECOGNISE ME! COME ON! SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT! WE'VE GOT A BREACH TO SEAL UP! EREN! LISTEN TO ME, YOU'RE HUMAN!" Mikasa yelled over Eren's heavy breathing, ignoring her commanding officer as she did so.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" the captain called as Eren's fist sailed towards his own face. Mikasa quickly pushed off of his nose and landed on a nearby roof as Eren knocked himself out. This was not going well.

* * *

"Red smoke, that's not good" muttered a Garrison soldier as the group atop the walls looked out over the city of Trost, "Sir at best, I'm afraid it means the elite squad hit quite a snag"

"This is pointless! My friends died like animals!" a cadet wept in the back.

"No! Look! Over there!" someone called pointing towards the tower of Titan steam rising into the sky.

"It's over! They failed…" trailed Marco.

"But how…?" breathed Armin in disbelief, before placing the extra canisters on the ground and dashing off the Wall and into the fray.

"Wait! Armin, where are you going?!" Marco called.

"Commander, I recommend we return to defending the gate. Just say the word, sir" stated a Garrison captain.

"Denied" Pixis replied.

"Sir, shall I order a full scale retreat?" The lieutenant asked.

"Absolutely not. Continue luring the enemy to the edge of town. The elite squad is well within their rights to make their own decisions. Proceed as planned, this was an all or nothing proposition. I will allow those at the vanguard to determine if and when we deviate. We are not in a position to deliver a verdict of defeat. But we are in a position to fight to the last breath. It's humanity's debt, it's what we owe the fallen"

Through it all, Edith watched on with a heavy heart and memories of Maria washing over her.

* * *

"…Ian! Snap out of it! What are you waiting for? Give the order! Hey, its not like this is your fault, c'me on! Look, the plan was doomed from the start! We all get that! Was it worth a shot? Sure, whatever. We did the best with what we had and all we've got now is going back over the Wall!" cried the soldier.

Furious, Mikasa prepared to scare the man into continuing the mission only to be stopped by Captain Ian who physically forced her to stop. "Stop! Easy, now is not the time. Team Rico, take out the twelve metre approaching from behind. Team Metabi and I will handle the frontrunners" Ian stated.

"Are you nuts?!" Rico demanded.

"In case you've forgotten, I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE! Do as your ordered soldier! We are  _not_  leaving Jeager defenceless. Period. Change of plans, our jobs is to keep the others off him until he can be recovered. Whether we like it or not, he's still our last best chance. We're not about to abandon him, we're expendable, he isn't; he can't just be replaced"

"Please! Don't talk to me about our last best chance! He's a failure countless soldiers have died because of! Just look at him Ian! Are you saying you want more of us to die saving  _that?"_

"That's right! Every single person, down to the last man! If that's what it takes, so be it!"

* * *

"What the hell is up with the red smoke? What happened?" Jean asked coming over to where Marco, Edith and Connie stood waiting. The crowd atop the wall had dispersed, their sombre attitude felt like a thick blanket suffocating the few who still remained.

"Uh, I don't know. But, uh, Armin's gone to check" replied Marco, "But I think it's gonna be all right"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, of course. I mean this is Eren we're talking about. He's not one to give up"

"…Right"

"I don't wanna be that guy, but this whole thing seems kinda pointless" Connie muttered.

"Hell, when's the last time a fight against the Titans  _didn't_  feel like it was pointless? The best thing now? Do what we can to prevent losing anymore" said Jean.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I just hope this isn't a repeat of Maria. God! That thing was a fucking nightmare!" added Edith, arms crossed.

"You were there?" Marco quietly asked.

"Yeah and the similarities are bloody terrifying. I'm just hoping Eren's stubborn ass can pull this off…or y'know have Mikasa kick him into gear or something" Edith ended with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's pretty good at that" chuckled Marco.

"It's not funny. I don't like the idea of so many of us being dead for nothing" Connie interjected, turning away from the group.

"We have to pick our battles. If we wanna wage all out war someday, we have to conserve all the manpower we can. This is the right call We just have to be patient" Jean said.

"Is it the right call, though?" Connie asked.

"Yes! Of course it was!"

 _"Live to fight another day,_  is that it?"

"…Y'know back during training, there was this little girl that I had to work on. She had come in with breathing problems" Eddie spoke up after a brief moment of silence.

"What? Where are you going with this?" Connie asked turning to face the trio. Marco and Jean also turned to face the shorter girl, confused at the sudden change in topic. Edith kept her eyes trained on Connie as she continued.

"I'd been one of the interns assigned to work on her that day. It was a simple problem, allergies. But you put a new mother and a young child with an allergic reaction and you get a trip to the clinic. Anyway, everything was going fine, in fact she was about to be released when she stopped breathing. We still don't know what caused it.

I had been the first one on the scene, and had started CPR straight away. But because she was so small, I wasn't pressing as hard as I would have if she had been older. The head nurse had come in and had told me to start pressing harder, which put me in a hard spot. Either I keep going the way I was and lose her or I press harder, break her ribs and have the possibility of her ribs pierce her lungs and kill her"

"Whats this got to do with anything?"

"With the options of guaranteed death and possible death, which one are you going to choose?"

"Well, the latter one of course"

"Exactly, as soldiers and medics, we have to remove ourselves from the situation. Disassociate ourselves and look at the problem logically. It is only then that we can see how to achieve our goals"

"…Right. I'm in…Hey, Edith? What happened to that little girl?"

"Ask her yourself, she's your sister after all"

* * *

_What? Where…am I? What am…I doing? Am…I sitting? I can't…see. What day is it? Eren thought, warmth enveloping him as he blinked a few times, bringing his vision into focus. In front of him stood his family. His mother and sister were at the kitchen counter washing the dishes from their earlier meal and his father was sat at the table scribbling away in his journal. He himself was bundled up in blankets and seated on the window seat at the back of the room, exhaustion pulling at his eye lids. Wait…Oh, that's right. Of course._

* * *

"Eren? Come on! What are you doing? Wake up!" Armin said talking to himself, as he looked down at the slumped Titan form of his brother. Steam was rising from the Titan body, but none of his previous wounds were healing. Was it a mental thing, maybe? Had Eren become so lost in his mind that he couldn't wake up?

* * *

"Alright, here's the plan. We don't let a single one of these ugly S.O.B's wander out of this corner. Focus on luring them here and keeping them here, understood? Do  _not_ , I repeat,  _do not_  engage them in combat unless you absolutely have to. I want you on the ground, three cadets per team. When you reach the wall, you jump, that clear? Die and you'll piss me off. If a Titan goes astray, you put him down" stated the Captain.

"If? It's not like we can count on them to follow protocol" Jean muttered. Edith was sorely tempted to give him a nudge in the ribs, but that didn't change the fact she agreed with him.

"What if our situation gets risky? Are we free to act at our own discretion or what?" Annie piped up.

"Whatever will make it easier on you"

The group turned as one when the building across from their back alley exploded in a cloud of smoke and the ground shook with the thud of a Titan meeting its end. "Stay together and move out!"

"Yes sir!" the group chorused.

* * *

"MIKASA! WHY'D THE PLAN GO BELLY UP?" Armin called up to his friend as he stood upon Eren's slumped form.

"ARMIN?!" said Mikasa, surprised at her friend's sudden appearance.

"WHY'S HE JUST SLUMPED OVER LIKE THIS?"  
"GET AWAY! IT'S DANGEROUS! SOMETHING WENT WRONG! HE LOST CONTROL AND WOUND UP LIKE THAT! I TRIED TO SNAP HIM OUT OF IT, BUT I COULDN'T GET HIM TO RESPOND!" The  _'If I couldn't then you defiantly can't'_  went unsaid. "HE'S BEEN OUT LIKE THIS FOR THE PAST FEW MINUTES!"

"BUT THE PLAN!…"

"WE'VE HAD TO SHIFT TACT! RIGHT NOW ALL WE CAN DO IS PROTECT HIM! HE'S DEFENCELESS! THEERE'S…THERE'S JUST TOO MANY! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE CAN KEEP THIS UP!"

"From the back of the head to the nape of the neck" Armin muttered as he stared down at the Titan's weak spot, pulling a blade from its sheath, he raised it in the air and prepared to plunge it into his brother's neck. "One metre wide and ten centimetres across"

"ARMIN!" Mikasa called, watching on from above.

"I'M PULLING HIM OUT OF THERE! YOU JUST HOLD OFF THE OTHER TITANS AS LONG AS YOU CAN!"

"But…"

"WHEN EREN FIRST EMERGED, IT WAS FROM THE WEAK SPOT. I DON'T KNOW, BUT SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE PICTURE. HOW THESE DAMN THINGS WORK, IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT AS LONG AS I DON'T HIT THE CENTRE. This won't kill him, but, well it is going to hurt. A lot" Plunging both of his wires into either of Eren's shoulder blades, Armin made sure that he was held fast before he struck his blade down through the flesh.

He could feel when his blade found Eren within, passing through flesh and bone before lodging itself in Eren's shoulder. Eren's Titan sat up straight a roar of pain falling from its jaws as it flailed around wildly trying to dislodge the pain from its shoulder from its seat on the floor. Armin held of for dear life, refusing to let go, afraid of what would happen if he did so.

"STOP IT! YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Mikasa yelled.

"I'M FINE! JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN TO KEEP THE REST AT BAY. TRUST ME THERE ARE TONS OF OTHER PEOPLE YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT. NOW LEAVE EREN TO ME AND GO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST!" Armin shouted back as Eren's Titan slowly came to a stop, slumping back over into the same position as before.

"Eren! Can you hear me? You've got to pull it together! You stay like this, we're all going to die! Whatever this body's doing to you, fight it! Your Eren Jeager, dammit! What's this huge demon flesh have on you, huh?! Come on! Dammit! Wake up! Get out of there! We need you! Eren! It's their fault your mother's dead! Remember? Remember what they did to her? You're bent on avenging her death! You swore to massacre the Titans!"

* * *

_"You're not making any sense Armin" Eren muttered tiredly to his blonde friend who was banging ruthlessly on the window. Strangely his family had yet to notice Armin's presence. "Open your eyes, Mum's not dead"_

_"Eren! Eren please! You have to push through it! I know you're in there! Listen to me! If you don't get a move on, the Titans are going to kill us and it'll all end right here!" Armin continued to pound on the window._

_"Armin, seriously what the hell has gotten into you? What's his get a move on, crap? I don't wanna…move anything. This right here is good enough for me…It's not like I wanna be a soldier" Eren murmured as his mother locked eyes with him, a smile upon her face._

* * *

Edith dug her blades through the fleshy nape of an Abnormal as she zipped down the street, trying to get away from the Titans they had been luring towards the back corner of the Wall. At some point she had been split off from the squad she had been a part of.

Unable to make her way back to the Wall without encountering anymore Titans, she made her way over to where the elite squad was supposed to be stationed, to see if she could be of any help. Instead she found Armin clinging to a blade that had been plunged into Eren's shoulder.

"ARMIN! What the hell is going on?!" she called as she landed on the Titan's bowed head.

"Edith! What are you doing here?" the blonde replied.

"Doesn't matter. What's going on with Eren?"

"He's stuck inside. He won't respond to anything I've said, but he moved when I put the blade in his shoulder"

"Really?" Edith replied as she held her chin in thought, going into medic mode "So, we've got a Titan that responds to pain, but is unresponsive to verbal attempts…Maybe we could…But on a Titan? Would that work? Well, the biology's relatively the same, so I don't see why not…" Armin watched on as Edith mused aloud, her eyes flicking back and forth as if she were reading over something he couldn't see. "Armin! Keep talking to him! I wanna try something!" Edith called

"What are you doing?" Armin worried.

"My job" she called as she launched her wires into the Titan's left shoulder and abseiled down so that she was swinging right above where his heart should be. From her position she was just able to hear Armin's voice drift down towards her.

"Eren, please for me, wake up. Remember when we were kids? All we could talk about was the world outside. You know, beyond the Walls. Frozen tundra that stretches to the skies, sand dunes, oceans, forests. The world my parents wanted to see. I'd always thought you'd outgrown that dream, I was kind of sad that it didn't come up anymore but then I realised you let it go because you realised you didn't want me to join the Scouts"

_"No I just…" Eren stood up from his perch by the window, his blanket falling to the floor._

"Tell me honestly, even though your first step beyond the Wall would mean the difference between a warm bed and hell on earth, even if you wound up risking your life, gambling against the possibility of dying like my parents. Why, why throw caution to the wind and venture outside the Walls?"

_"What kind of question is that? Don't play dumb, you know damn well why. Because THE WORLD BEYOND THE WALL IS MY BIRTHRIGHT!" Eren screamed, the room around his setting ablaze and his family disappearing as if they had never been there._

"Oh, I hope this works" Edith muttered as she clapped her hands together and pressed them to the Titan's skin, right above where his heart should be. She had to narrow her eyes against the familiar bright electrical light (that was associated with alkahestry) that bloomed from beneath her hands and danced across the skin.

Edith felt the giant heart beneath her hands stutter once or twice as she reset its pace, before she had to quickly cease the alkahestry and dig her fingers into the flesh before her so as not to lose her grip as Eren's Titan rose to its feet with an almighty roar.


	17. The Struggle for Trost: Primal Desire

_**"I definitely agree…you should never meet your heroes…how human they seem to be"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850,  
** **Retake Wall Rose Operation, Trost City District**

Thankfully, Edith was able to dislodge herself from the Titan's chest and found a safe enough spot on a rooftop next to Armin, overlooking the street. "Eren…" Armin breathed, watching at what they had done. Eren stood roaring into the sky, the wounds he had acquired earlier that day were quickly healing themselves, at such a rate that even Edith was surprised. Sure with alkahestry on her side, she could heal wounds a faster rate than was considered normal, but this was insane. Regrowing limbs in a matter of seconds? Insane.

"GO! EREN GO!" Armin cheered as he watched his brother hefted the boulder up onto his shoulders and make his way slowly towards the front gate. His thundering steps echoed throughout the district brought everyone to a standstill. The only image that many could see was the large boulder slowly making its way to the front gate, steam pouring off of it as it did so.

* * *

"Mikasa!" Edith called as she and Armin came to a rough landing on the rooftop next to part of the elite squad.

"Edith? Armin?" Mikasa murmured, turning to the two.

"We were able to break him out of it somehow. We're set, he's determine to see the mission through to the end. As long as we've got his back while he heads for the wall, victory will be ours!" Armin replied, well aware that the Captain of the elites was listening in.

"DEFEND HIM! TO THE LAST MAN IF THAT'S WHAT IT COMES TO! EREN MUST REACH THE GATE! I DON'T WANT A SINGLE TITAN  _ANYWHERE_  NEAR HIM!" Ian ordered, "ACKERMAN, ARLERT! I WANT YOU TWO ON EREN! BROWN YOU'RE WITH ME! DO NOT LET HIM DIE! HOP TO SOLDIERS! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

"YES SIR!" chorused the cadets as they raced off towards their collective stations.

Ian went to launch himself from the roof but froze at the sight before him. "TEAM METABI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he called down to the trio who were running along the ground behind the trio of Titans currently headed towards Eren.

"THESE UGLY SON'S OF BITCHES HAVE LOST ALL INTEREST IN US! WE NEED TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO GRAB THEIR ATTENTION!" Metabi replied.

"HEY BIG GUY! OVER HERE!" the group began to taunt.

"YOU WALKING AWAY? OR DO YOU WANNA SHOVE OUR BLADES RIGHT UP YOUR SMELLY ASSES?!" Two of the three Titans turned at that and began to chase Team Metabi back towards the city.

"ALL RIGHT MAKE A BEELINE STRAIGHT FOR THE BUILDINGS!"

"They're insane!" Armin breathed,"Setting foot down there is suicide! If they get cornered somewhere, there'll be nothing they can do!"

"Yeah, they know that" Edith muttered as the group on the rooftops watched on.

"Move out! Let's go Team Metabi!" Ian called, launching from the building closely followed by the others. Edith followed after the elite squad, bringing up the rear and picking off the stragglers that made it through the squad. She was practically enveloped in the steaming Titan blood, the steam fogging up her goggles as played Titans left, right and centre.

 _I feel like-like I'm about to buckle under the weight…Mikasa, Armin…What are you doing? Get to the rooftops, you'll be killed._  Eren thought following in the footsteps of his friends as they led him towards the gate.

_'Why? Why throw caution to the wind and venture outside?' Because we're born free, all of us, free. Some don't believe it, some try to take it away, to hell with them! Water like fire, mountains of ice, the whole bit, lay your eyes on that and you'll know what freedom is!_

_That it's worth fighting for! Fight to live! Risk it all for even a glimmer of real freedom! It doesn't matter what's waiting outside the gate or what comes in! It doesn't matter how cruel the world is or how unjust! Fight! Fight! Fight! FIGHT!_

"There's still two ahead of us!" Armin spotted.

"I'll take care of it!" Mikasa called, running forward, but she needn't have bothered. From either side of the Titans, two figures came flying in, one from the left and one from the right.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" called Rico as she took out the left eye of the Titan, causing it to falter slightly before zipping out of reach. Mikasa and Armin drove themselves forward with Mikasa taking out the Titan that Rico had disabled.

"LOOK OUT!" Edith called as she took out the second Titan. She launched her wires into the wall above her and sat a metre or two above the open gate as she watched the two Titans fall.

"GO!" roared Armin in tune with the roar from Eren's Titan as the boulder was shoved into the wall, perfectly blocking out the outside world and more importantly any more Titans.

Edith watched on in disbelief from where she swung up above the gate. He'd done it. Eren had actually done it. The small shockwave that had been produced from dumping the boulder, rocked her in her perch and she was suddenly glad that she had not clung to the wall like a spider as the cracks that now ran up the wall would have certainly meant trouble for her.

"Comrades, your sacrifices weren't…in vain" Rico murmured, tears glistening in her eyes as she shot up the green signal flare, "We have made history, this day  _belongs to humanity!"_

* * *

"Definitely green smoke sir. Oh my God! The mission was a success" reported the lieutenant as she lowered the telescope from her eye.

"Deploy all reinforcements, bring the elite squad home" Pixis ordered.

* * *

Edith shook herself out of her reverie and let herself fall the short distance from the Wall to Eren's steaming Titan head. Picking her way over to where Armin was trying pull Eren from the carcass. "Mind the stragglers" Rico ordered Mikasa, her back turned to the Wall, "Ackerman, pull back"

"With all due respect, I'm not withdrawing until I recover Eren" Mikasa replied darting forward towards the steaming carcass.

"ARMIN! HOW IS HE?" she called up.

"UNCONSCIOUS AND SCORCHING TO THE TOUCH!" he replied, his arms were hooked under Eren's armpits and he was trying to pull him free, with not much success.

"Here, let me try" Edith stated as she knelt down and took Armin's place. With both hands locked around his chest and her feet planted on either side of him, with an almighty heave she began to pull him from the carcass.

"There we go" Edith muttered when she felt the carcass give way a little.

"We need to get him up the Wall" Armin stated as the trio were joined by Mikasa and Rico.

"I know, but he's fused to the carcass" Edith replied.

"Then we cut" Rico stated.

"Wait! We don't know what that might do!" Mikasa protested.

"Mikasa, he regrew and arm and a leg. I think he'll be fine" Edith replied.

Rico ignored the protests from Armin & Mikasa and instead turned to Edith "Ready?" Edith merely nodded and prepped herself to pull once more.

When steel meet flesh, Edith gave an almighty heave and pulled Eren from the nape and tumbled to the ground, cradling Eren's limp body to her. It took her a few moments to regain the breath knocked out of her from the fall, but was soon up and checking Eren over for any injuries he may have incurred. Armin soon joined the two on the ground, cradling his brother in his arms as Edith continued to check him over.

Whilst this was going on, two Titans had made their way towards the gate with one goal in mind and now that Eren was vulnerable it was the perfect time to strike. "EDITH! ARMIN!" Mikasa called as she prepped herself to attack the two stragglers. Down below, Eren cracked his eyes open at his sister's call and stared over Edith's shoulder and up at the two incoming Titans. The need to do something washed over him, but his exhaustion kept him from doing so.

But it didn't matter, as if called forth, the two Titans were shot down where they stood. The figure almost looked like a blur they were moving so fast, their movements graceful as they carved out flesh from the napes of the Titans.

Edith finally looked over her shoulder, having deemed Eren relatively okay (his healing factor was  _amazing)_  to see that the two Titans that had been heading for them had fallen in their tracks and a Scout stood atop the closest one, their back turned to them.

"Mikasa?" Armin breathed as the person in question joined the trio on the ground, surprising Armin.

"Who's that?" Mikasa asked.

"The wings…of freedom" Eren murmured catching sight of the logo emblazoned on the back of the green cloak. As if he had heard their mutterings, the figure turned and look over his shoulder down at them.

"Pay attention kiddos, this is the part where you explain what exactly it is I'm looking at"

* * *

**_"Afterward, thanks to the co-ordinate efforts of the Scout Regiment and the Garrison Regiment's core of engineers…Wall Rose once again stood as a strong structure against the Titan hordes. It was a full day's work dispatching the Titans who remained corralled within Trost's perimeter, during which the wall-mounted canons fired ceaselessly._ **

**_Most of the Titans nearest the Wall were wiped out by explosive shells, the few that remained once the smoke cleared were summarily cut down by the Survey Corps…During the so-called 'Clean-up Operation' two Titans, a four metre and a seven metre were captured alive and successfully restrained. However, all told 207 people were either dead or missing, 897 were counted among the injured. So while the reclamation of Trost represented the first true victory in its war against the Titans, too many soldiers had fallen for celebration to be in order…"-The Fall of Rose, Armin Arlert_ **

* * *

The lukewarm water from the shower cascaded down Edith's exhausted body, the dried blood falling from her once matted hair and running down the drain. Despite the temperature of the water, the shower did wonders for her stiff muscles.

Her thoughts turned to the events that had followed the closure of Wall Rose. After checking Eren over, she had been ordered to hand Eren over to the Military Police, who in turn placed him under arrest.  _Funny how they turn up at just the right times, isn't it?_  Next she had returned to Trost HQ, to find that the Civilian doctors had finally been granted safe passage to begin the clean-up operation with the help of the cadets.

Thankfully, that meant that as a field medic she was able to skip out on the clean-up and properly rest for the first time in a couple of days. A couple of the older field medics who had been fit enough to serve, went to help with the clean-up operation, whilst the others remained here at HQ to rest and recuperate.

 _I could almost fall asleep right here_. A quick rap on the bathroom door let her know that probably wasn't the best idea, the Trost HQ only had so many working showers and hot water was a luxury even here. Pulling herself from her thoughts, she shut off the shower and shrugged on the clean uniform that sat on the bench in the middle of the room.

Towelling herself off, she didn't really care about the fact that this was a shared bathroom. It was set up like the ones back up the cadet boot camp, where a set of communal showers lined one side of the wall and a row of lockers sat along the opposing wall. Benches ran up the centre of the room for people to place their dry things on, away from the wet floors.

A few of the showers were occupied by some of the older female medics, as they took advantage of what free time they had been granted to bathe and relax for a moment or two. After dumping her dirty towel in the hamper by the door, Edith made her way to barracks that had been set aside for the medics. It looked like it had been an infirmary once, with the beds all lined up in rows with crisp white sheets.

Barefoot, Edith padded quietly, weaving her way around the beds that lined the room and towards the free bed that she had saved for herself earlier.

Moving her ODM gear to sit under the bed, next to her boots, she folded her cadet jacket and placed it to the side before falling into bed. With the crisp white sheets pulled up over her head, and her damp braid poking out from underneath the sheets, she welcomed the blackness of sleep with open arms, taking advantage of the rest period she had been given.


	18. Eve of the Counter Attack: Can't Look into His Eyes

_**"…To kill or not to kill? That is the question"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Eren Jeager Trial, Sina Courthouse**

_**"Mutters and murmurs spread through the interior like wildfire. The publication of Eren Jeager's involvement in the resealing of Wall Rose, was met with much trepidation and fear on both sides.** _

_**Those within Wall Sina believed that the news was just propaganda to help boost the people's moral and hope. And how could they know any better? You could count the number of successful military operations on both hands…They were more worried about the influx of refugees from Wall Rose and their own safety than that of their fellow human beings.** _

_**Whilst those within Wall Rose, believed that Eren's involvement in the operation solidified his loyalty to the military and held a new hope for humanity in his hands. Now that they had a Titan on their side, they might finally have a chance to obtain another victory from the Titans…They were calling him a saviour.** _

_**The people called for a trial, one to decide whether Eren should live or die…The only man suitable for the job was Premiere Dolohas Zachery. He held Eren's life in his hands and he knew that. He knew that no matter how the trial ended, there would be outcry from the people…That's a lot of pressure for one man"-The Trials of Eren Jeager, Marie S. Roberts** _

Eren woke to stiff muscles and musty smells. The clanging on chains and rock hard bed reminded him where we was and what had happened over the last day or so. There was not much he could see by candlelight and there were no windows down here. He had no way of knowing how long he had been kept in this cell. Or how long he would stay here.

Glancing around the cell, his eyes focused on the two wooden bedside tables that sat empty on either side of his bed. The dirty white sheet that lay strewn underneath him, rustled and crinkled every time he moved. Through the cell door at his feet, he saw that two officers dressed in Military Police gear. Even with the low light, they looked like they were armed to the gills.

"Uh, excuse me?" Eren called sitting up in bed with his hands in his lap, "I gotta pee"

"No, you just went" replied the first officer without so much as turning towards him.

"Then can I have some water?"

"Hey! You're not getting a thing, got it? Damn monster" the second officer replied, this time looking over his shoulder at Eren, before facing forward once more.

 _Monster. I guess he's not too far off the mark there._  Eren glared down at his bound and clenched hands.  _Frightened of me or not though, I don't deserve this. Except how can I blame him? I don't even understand what's going on._ _On the bright side, at least these guards haven't tried to kill me yet._

_When I think back, they weren't afraid of me even after everything they'd seen. I wonder what they're doing now…and all the others, I wonder what happened to them? I've been in here so long, what's been happening outside of these bars? I-I'm not going to spend the rest of my life like this, am I?_

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room as they approached his cell, breaking him from his thoughts. He flinched backwards at the sudden appearance of the Scout who gripped tight to the cell bars and pressed her face right up against them. Her wide-eyed stare was definitely freaking him out.

"So then, you're Eren. Are you well? How are things? I'm really sorry you've been waiting so long, but here's your chance to finally get out. One thing…you'll have to put these on for me, okay?" she smiled, handing him a pair of iron-cast handcuffs as a tall blonde scout quietly joined her at her side.

Once bound, Eren was escorted from his cell, the two officers that had stood guard, accompanied them. Eren kept his head bowed, walking just behind the female Scout, in the middle of the formation as conversation began to pick up.

"My name is Zoe Hanji, I'm a sergeant for the Scouts. This is a fellow captain in the Scouts, Mike Zacharious" Hanji jovially introduced the blonde who was nonchalantly sniffing at Eren's neck, much to his char-gin. "Oh! Don't mind him, he makes a habit of giving new people a good sniff. Tends to laugh through his nose a bit, but I don't think he intends it to be derisive. Quirks aside, he is a skilled captain"

Eren glanced up at the man in question, it was a pretty odd habit, the sniffing thing.  _Was he like a bloodhound or something? But then again, who was he to judge?_  Coming to a stop in front of a pair of large ornate wooden doors, Hanji exclaimed, "Oh shit! I've just been prattling on with the small talk and now we're here. Well, I'm sure it's fine! It's probably better if I don't explain anyway"

At those words, the two Military Police officers man-handled Eren through the wooden doors and into the room beyond. "Hey! Hold on!" Eren protested struggling against the tight grip on his arms.

"It might seem callous but remember, we've all put our faith in you Eren. Best of luck" Hanji stated slamming the doors shut on Eren's feeble protests.

Swinging around to the front, Eren blinked once or twice adjusting to the bright sunlight that shone through the tall windows to his left. Terrified shock and awe was present in his expression as he stared at the room around him.  _A courthouse? I was housed in the basement of a courthouse this entire time?_  Eren wondered.

Up on the ceiling sat a mural depicting humanity's fight against the Titans, to his left the Scout Regiment and Cadets took up the majority of the benches and to his right the Military Police and public jury took up the other benches. The Garrison regiment were spread evenly on either side.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the trial sat squished together behind the fence jostled each other to get a good look at him as he was shoved down the aisle. His eyes continued to rove over the room as he moved, up the front sat the judge's chair (which looked more like a throne than anything else) underneath the four placards of the regiments (from left to right: the Cadets, the Military Police, the Garrison and the Scouts).

In the centre of the room stood a single pole upon a pedestal. Apparently that was his destination as he was roughly shoved to his knees on the pedestal, the pole was slotted over top of his bound hands and into the slot in the ground. A few experimental tugs revealed that there was no way he was going anywhere.

 _Why are all these people here just starting at me? Is someone going to explain what the hell is going on?_  Ignoring the whispers of the jury, Eren's gaze wandered around the room once more, landing on the cadets that stood in the left-hand jury box.  _My friends? What are they doing here?_

The sound of a side door creaking open pulled the room's attention up towards them. Not a sound was heard as Premiere Zachery scraped the chair back and sat down, folding his jacket on the table next to him and snapped his suspenders into place.

"Alright, shall we begin?" Zachery stated adjusting his glasses, "Your name is Eren Jeager and as a soldier you have sworn to give up your life when called to for the good of the people. Is that correct?"

"Yes" Eren replied, sweat beading on his brow.

"As an enlisted soldier during a time of war, military doctrine demands your tribunal will be held as a court martial. As Commander of our armed forces, this duty falls to me. Thus I will decide whether you live or die. Any objections?"

"…No sir"

"Your astuteness is appreciated. Let us proceed: as expected, covering up your existence has proved quite fruitless and unless we publicly disclose your existence one way or another, we risk the threat of widespread civil unrest. A choice must be made and the regiment that takes custody of you will determine your fate. The Military Police or the Scout Regiment. To begin, the Military Police will now present their case"

"Thank you. My name is Nile Doc, I am the Commander of the Military Police" stated Nile stepping forward, "Our recommendation following a through examination of his physiology, subject Eren Jeager should be disposed of immediately.

We acknowledge that Jeager's abilities played a part in turning the tide on the latest Titan incursion, however as has been stated his mere existence is creating a swarm of rebellious sentiment. For the greater good after we have gathered all the information that we can from him, we would see him made a fallen warrior of humanity"

"UNACCEPTABLE!" interrupted the furious Pastor Nick pointing towards Eren, "THIS VERMINOUS FIEND HAS DEFILED THE MIGHTY WALL HEAVEN HAS GIFTED TO US!" Only to be scolded by Zachery for his outburst.  _Another deranged Wall cultist. Five years ago, everyone ignored them and now they've actually got some clout._

"And now I'd like to hear the Scout Regiment's proposed plan" Zachery said.

"Yes sir. As the Commander of the Scout Regiment, I Erwin Smith, propose the following" stated Erwin, stepping forward, "Let Eren join our ranks, instate him as a full member of the Scouts and we'll utilise his abilities to retake Wall Maria. That is all"

"Hm? Is that it?"

"Yes, with his assistance sir, Im certain we can reclaim Wall Maria. Ergo, I believe our top priority is perfectly clear"

"Quite bold, assuming you were given clearance where do you plan to launch this operation from? Commander Pixis, the wall at Trost district has been completely sealed, is that correct?"

"Yes, I doubt its gates will ever open again" Pixis replied smugly.

"We'll depart from Calandeth district, to the East. From there we'll make for Shiganshina, a new route can be established as we proceed"

"BUT THAT'S RIDICULOUS! OUR TIME AND MONEY WOULD BE BETTER SPENT SEALING UP ALL THE GATES! THEY'RE ONLY PARTS OF THE WALL THE COLOSSAL TITAN CAN BREAK RIGHT? LET'S REINFORCE THE BLASTED THINGS SO WE CAN WASH OUR HANDS OF THE ENTIRE AFFAIR!" cried a member of the public. It didn't take long for the courtroom to descend into chaos.

"Squealing louder won't help your case, pig" Levi interrupted, his voice never raising "While we're bolstering our defences, do you think the Titans are going to stand idly by? And when you say  _'we can't afford'_  do you speak for anyone other than your fat merchant friends? Do you pigs even realise that most of our people are struggling just to survive off of what little land we have left?"

"I'm simply saying that sealing that gates is the only guaranteed protection we've got!"

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE! YOU VILE BELLIGERENT HERETIC! ARE YOU REALLY SUGGESTING THAT WE LOWLY HUMANS MEDDLE WITH WALL ROSE? A GIFT TO US ON HIGH? THE WALL IS A MIRACLE AND ITS DIVINITY TRANSCENDS HUMAN COMPREHENSION! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!…" cried Pastor Nick.

"It's that cult's fault. They're the ones who delayed the Garrison's arming of the Walls!" breathed Armin.

"That shows you the amount of support and power they've got. I don't trust them at all" Rico muttered in reply as the merchant and the Wallist continued to bicker.

"ORDER! I ask that you save your personal sentiments for a more appropriate venue" Zachery interjected slamming his hand against the bench top. "Now then Mr Jeager, I have a question for you. As a soldier you have made a solemn pledge to answer humanity's call. Can you still serve by controlling your abilities?"

"Yes, I will sir" Eren readily replied.

"Oh, is that so? But this report from the battle for Trost contradicts that statement. Just after transforming it seems you made an attempt to crush Mikasa Ackerman"

Eren started at that revelation, snapping towards where his friends stood to his left, shock clearly written across his face.  _He doesn't even remember! He completely lost control!_  Armin thought as Mikasa turned her glare on Rico.

"What did you expect? You want me to lie in the report? Glossing over that important fact could potentially spell disaster for us all" Rico defended.

"And who is this Mikasa Ackerman?" Zachery asked.

"Me. That would be me, sir" Mikasa stated.

"Alright then, is it true that Eren Jeager assaulted you in Titan form?"

"…"

"Answer the Premiere honestly, Eren's future depends on it" said Rico.

"…Yes…all of that's…true" Mikasa forced out.

 _I-I tried…to kill Mikasa?…What's happening to me?_  Eren thought as he watched his sister with wide eyes.

"However, he also saved my life twice before. In each circumstance he was using his Titan ability. The first: shortly after Trost fell. I was nearly killed by a Titan and Eren came, he stepped in and protected me. The second time: he transformed to shield Armin and I from canon fire. I implore you to take these facts into consideration" defended Mikasa.

"OBJECTION!" called Nile, "I have reason to believe that personal feelings play a large part in her testimony. Let the record show that Mikasa Ackerman was orphaned at a young age and subsequently adopted by the Jeager family. What's more, our own internal investigation into this matter led to a most shocking discovery.

Eren Jeager and Mikasa Ackerman at the tender age of nine, dealt with three adult kidnappers by stabbing all of them to death. Granted this was done in self-defence, all the same, one cannot help but question the violent nature of the act. Knowing all of this, should we really invest in him? Money? Manpower? The very fate of us all?"

The accusations that were thrown about at this revelation began to escalate the situation. The shouts had begun to grind on Eren's nerves; threats and accusations thrown his way he could handle, but at his sister? It's really no wonder he snapped. Besides Eren always had a short temper, it was bound to happen one way or another.

Eren's explosive rant was suddenly cut off by a boot to the face. The kick had so much force behind it that a tooth came flying out of his mouth as his head whipped to the side, a bruise already forming. Looking up, Eren met the eyes of Levi Ackerman who stood there for a moment before roughly dragging Eren up by the hair and kneeing him repeatedly in the face until blood gushed out.

"Y'know personally I think nothing instills discipline like pain" Levi commented with his boot pushing Eren's face into the floor "You don't need a good talking to, what you're in need of boy is to be taught a lesson and you happen to be in perfect kicking position" Eren grit his teeth at the statement, ready to fire back when Levi returned to kicking him repeatedly as the people watched on.

"N-Now hold on Levi" Nile stuttered causing Levi to pause with his foot pushing Eren upright by the face.

"What is it?" Levi asked removing his foot.

"It's dangerous. What if he gets angry? What if he turns into a Titan?"

"Don't be silly" Levi kicked Eren face first into the floor and heaved him up by the hair "After all you guys just want to direct him, don't you? During the time that he was transformed they say that Jeager was able to kill twenty Titans before he finally ran out of strength.

As an enemy, his intelligence makes him all the more dangerous, but I can still take him down without a problem. How many of you can say the same? Before you torment the beast, you better think, can you actually kill him?"

"Sir! I have a proposition" Erwin piped up, hand in the air.

"Proceed" said Zachery

"There's still too much we don't know and no doubt his danger will be ever present. As such I suggest this: Eren Jeager be placed under Captain Levi's supervision and we'll conduct a recon mission outside the Walls"

"Jeager will join you in the excursion?"

"Yes sir and you can look upon the mission's results yourself and if he successfully controls his ability, Eren will have proven his value to mankind"

"Eren Jeager will be closely supervised? And if he should lose control?"

"I can definitely kill him if it comes to that. The only downside is, there's absolutely no middle ground" Levi replied.

"Then I have made my decision"

* * *

Edith padded quietly behind Norfolk as he led her through the twisting hallways of the Sina Courthouse. Gnawing on a piece of crystallised ginger, her thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier that day. She had woken late, sometime around lunch, where she had then learned that Eren had been placed on trial for his actions during the battle of Trost.

After lunch, she had sent off a letter to Peggy about replacing her prosthetic arm, before going over her gear and making sure that everything was working as it should be. Sometime before dinner, Norfolk had approached her and ordered her to follow him. Apparently she had been requested to deal with any injuries Eren had incurred during the trial; under the guise of gaining some 'more experience'

She quickly stuffed the bag of ginger in the medi-pack on her hips as they came to halt outside of one of the many wooden doors that lined the hallway. Norfolk knocked sharply on the door twice before taking a step back as it swung open. In the doorway stood Zoe Hanji who greeted the taller brunette before allowing them inside.

Once inside, Norfolk made his way over to Erwin in the corner and begun to talk to him in hushed tones. All other chatter in the room ceased as the occupants stared at the sudden appearance of the cadet and the medical officer. Edith shifted awkwardly under the stares, her eyes never fully meeting any of the others in the room.

To her right sat Eren and Levi on the blues chaise and Hanji stood in front of Eren, clearly wanting to analyse him. In the back corner of the room Mike stood staring out of the window and Erwin & Norfolk stood off to the side of the door talking in hushed tones.

"Ah Brown! There you are!" Hanji smiled as she turned to face the cadet in the doorway.

"Professor!" Edith saluted.

"Ah, drop the title! I'm not your professor anymore, Brown"

"Uh, yes ma'am!"

"Edith?…" Eren questioned looking up at his classmate who still stood in the doorway. Getting to his feet, he quickly strode over to the shorter girl and wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her clear off the floor and trapping her arms to her sides "You're okay" he breathed, nestling his head into her shoulder. Apart Armin and Mikasa, she was the first classmate he'd seen since he'd been arrested the day before. Besides, nothing really brings people together like trauma, y'know?

Edith grunted at the tightness of the sudden hug, not that she minded of course. But she was finding it a little harder to breathe and she could have sworn she heard her prosthetic groan under the pressure. "Eren…can't…breathe" she wheezed. Eren quickly released his hold on her, causing Edith to stumble to her feet much to Eren's embarrassment.

"Sorry" he muttered looking down at his feet.

"It's fine" Edith quietly replied, trying to ignore the quiet chuckles of Hanji and Norfolk as the others watched the scene play out. Taking pity on the girl, Norfolk spoke up garnering the room's attention, "Right, Brown. Change of plans. You're gonna heal Jeager, then you're gonna see Lady Colt about your arm and you're gonna collect your things and meet the Squad Levi & Hanji at the gate"

"Sir?" Edith questioned at the sudden change of plans. What happened to the assignment ceremony? Sure as a field medic her options were limited, but the sudden change was odd.

"Is that understood, cadet?"

"Yes sir!" Edith saluted as Norfolk bid his goodbyes and left. Turning to Eren, she immediately went into what Gus like to call 'medic mode' "Right, you. Sit" she ordered Eren, pointing to the chaise behind him.

"What happened to you? You look like you kissed a wall" she joked coming to kneel in front of Eren.

"Uh, I got beat up while I was chained to a pole"

"Kinky, I didn't know you were into that sorta thing, Jeager. But I guess that explains why you asked Reiner about dogging" Edith grinned.

"EDITH!"a red-faced Eren spluttered.

"Your bedside manner sucks, Brown" Hanji cackled.

"Yeah, I know. It's a good thing I'm not a Civie"

"A Civie?" Eren asked.

"Civilian Doctor, their practice is all opinion based. So say you have a bad day or a patient doesn't like your treatment, they can complain and you'll be out on your ass faster than you can say 'Titan" Edith explained as she began her examination.

* * *

Having determined that his major injuries were healed (gotta love that Titan healing), she turned to the smaller ones. "Does that hurt?" Edith asked prodding his right forearm.

"Yeah" Eren replied holding a cold cloth to his swollen cheek. The underside of the forearm in question appeared slightly lumpy and Eren hissed when she pressed down on it.

"Right, well you've got shrapnel in your arm that I need to take out" Edith continued shifting through her medi-pack for her tools as she ignored Hanji's outburst.

Setting aside a small bowl, a pair of tweezers, a scalpel and a lighter she got to her feet and she also removed her belt. Rolling up Eren's sleeve, she tied the belt around his bicep and pulled it tight so that she could cut off the blood flow to his lower arm.

Next she picked up the lighter and held the scalpel to the flame to sterilise it. It was under watchful eyes that Edith sliced vertically up Eren's arm and pulled the flaps of skin open to reveal the fleshy inside. "You don't have to watch" Edith told Eren when she glanced up at the slight gagging noise.

"No…I'm good. I'm good" Eren mumbled as he winced at the slight tug he felt when Edith picked out small pieces of shrapnel and place them in the bowl. After a moment of silence Eren spoke up again, avoiding eye contact with the others in the room.

"Hey, Edith?" Eren mumbled.

"Mm?"

"…How come you're not scared?"

"Of what? Of you?"

"…"

"Eren. You choked on a minnow when we went swimming. Excuse me if I'm not shaking in my boots" she said waving her hand in the air as she did so.

"…Can't believe you remember that"

"What? It was funny…Though I guess it does explain the short temper"

"I don't have short temper!" Edith merely raised an eyebrow at him and he sank back against the couch.

"Now hold still" she requested placing the tweezers in the bowl with the shrapnel and bloody scalpel before she clapped her hands together and held them over the wound.

The small light produced by the alkahestry garnered the attention of the other occupants in the room and Erwin stepped forward and gripped her wrist in his hand pulling it off of the now fully healed arm. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Healing him" she replied forcefully pulling her wrist from his grasp, retrieving her items and sealing them away.

"Explain"

"T-That's alchemy, right?" Hanji asked intrigued.

"Alkahestry, actually. But they're pretty similar so I can understand the confusion" Edith casually replied as she continued to clean up.

"Alkahestry?"

"…Essentially, you use the same fundamentals as alchemy but for medical purposes" she sighed, "Like how I used to help Armin kick your ass in gear" she continued directing it towards Eren.

"What do you mean?"

"If you disregard the fact that Titans don't have digestive tracks or reproductive organs, we have similar if not, the same biology fundamentally speaking. So with that in mind, certain procedures that work on us, should in theory, work on Titans as well. So using alkahestry, I sent a command to your heart to, well, kick you into gear"

"In English?" Levi drawled.

"I restarted his heart"

"…How did you know it was going to work?" Eren asked.

"I didn't"

"Fine, why wasn't any of this in your reports?" Erwin interjected with arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"With all due respect sir, do you see me hiding? No, do you know why? Why people turn the other cheek when strange things happen? Because they wanna feel safe and they can't do that if they admit a girl can 'magically' heal people or a kid can turn into a Titan. Because then they have to admit that their problems are real; that they are not safe"

There was a beat of silence as those gathered processed Edith's words before Erwin turned once more to the topic at hand. "…What's alchemy?"

"…Science. It's a branch of science that's not used so much anymore. Supposedly back in the day, it was quite a common practice but with the changes in technology, it kind of just faded away. A few families still practice it though" Edith sighed.

"And…this is a learned skill?"

Edith's head snapped up at that question, her movements freezing as she locked eyes with the Commander. She squared her shoulders and spoke in a cold voice. "Whatever you're thinking, stop it. Power always comes with a price, especially with alchemy and these prices are always high. Trust me"

You could've heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. Or more accurately an arm. "I knew I forgot something" Edith murmured as she bent down to retrieve the metal prosthetic next to Eren's feet.


	19. Eve of the Counter Attack: Special Operations Squad

_**"I've always found [new] people to be terrifying…you never know what they're really thinking…fuck that, I'd take a Titan any day"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Courtyard Alcove, Sina Courthouse**

Following the tense conversation in that small room, Edith walked next Hanji who chattered continuously about different Titan theories. Edith would throw her opinion every now and then, quietly answering questions or asking her own. Her broken prosthetic was clutched in her other hand; the loose nuts and bolts rattling as she walked.

Up ahead, Eren was stuck shackled in between Mike & Levi, with Erwin at the front. The males never spoke a word the whole time, although the looks that Levi would send in their direction every so often spoke levels.

It took a while for the group to weave their way through the twisting and turning hallways of the Sina courthouse, Edith had to jog a couple of times to keep up with the others much to Hanji's amusement.  _Damn their long legs._  She thought raising her hand to block the sun out of her eyes as the group trickled out into the courtyard.

Edith let her gaze wander over the scenes around her as the group moved towards the carriage sitting ready at the gate. All around them, soldiers milled around-mostly Garrison soldiers and Military Police. Erwin continued on with his head held high as he ignored the whispers and pointed stares; the others following his lead.

Hanji continued to chatter on, the topic switching from Titans to other random little things whilst Levi's gaze wandered over his surroundings like a predator with a scowl permanently in place and Mike would sniff every now and then taking in the scents around him.

The group continued on like this until their path was cut off by two Military Police officers and a rather heavily pregnant lady behind them. "Commander Erwin, Lady Margaret Colt to see Medic Edith Brown" stated the taller brunette on the right, neither saluted the commander, something that was noted by the darkened scowl on Levi's face.

The group moved off to the side where a small alcove was located off to the left so that they could talk in relative privacy without of the scrutiny of the other soldiers. Levi stood next to Eren who sat on one end of the bench; Mike, Hanji and Erwin stood spaced out along the entrance of the alcove and the two Military Police officers stood a metre or two from where Edith and Margaret sat on the other end of the bench.

The other members of the squad were kind enough to give the two some space at the same time that they kept an eye on the two and the lady's pale guards. "It's good to see you, Peggy" Eddie hugged her friend with her one good arm, mindful of Peggy's pregnant belly. The two officers looked scandalised at her casual greeting.

"You too, Eddie" Smiled Peggy as the two clutched at each other, melting into the embrace.

"I see you've been busy" smirked Edith

"Oi!" laughed Peggy as she smacked Edith in the arm "Now what have you got for me?"

"Here" Edith handed Peggy the prosthetic.

Peggy let out a wheezing gasping noise as she looked over the condition of the arm. "What did you  _do?"_

"Uh…would you believe it just happened?" Edith scratched her cheek bashfully.

"Edith" Peggy warned.

"It was a combination of a few things. I, uh, hit a wall and uh, dissected a few piles of Titan vomit. Turns out it's quite corrosive"

"You are so lucky I've already finished the new arm. Gimme a look at the socket"

Edith shrugged her tan jacket off and folded it in her lap; leaving her in a sage green tank top. Shifting on the bench, Edith turned around on the end of the bench so that her automail socket was facing Peggy. She flinched slightly at her friend's cold fingers as they fiddled around with the wires that were left hanging in the socket. From her spot Edith could see Hanji looking over her friend's shoulder to see what was going on.

"Alright, looks like we'll need to widen the socket a little, but other than that you should be fine with the new arm" Peggy stated sitting back "Unfortunately I can't do it today. How long are you in Trost?"

"Uh…" Edith looked at Erwin for an answer.

"We're heading out soon, when is a good time?" Erwin replied arms crossed, revealing no specific details.

Edith mostly tuned out the rest of the conversation as Peggy helped her put her jacket back on. She was able to gather was that the Commander had agreed to allow Peggy to visit the Scout HQ in order to install the new prosthetic, but only under the supervision of Levi and Hanji. Peggy's two guards had protested a fair amount at this, but were shut down with a quick glare from her.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" Edith hugged Peggy goodbye.

"See you then" smiled her friend.

* * *

After having farewelled her friend, Hanji had escorted her back to Trost HQ so that she could collect her things. Things had gone well, she had left Hanji outside with the horses and had snuck her way through the building to gather her things. There wasn't much anyway, a couple of extra shirts, and extra pair of pants, socks and a few extra tools, ODM and medical alike, most of it able to fit in the standard cadet pack.

She thought she was going to be able to make it out of the building without too much trouble, at least until she was cut off by Mikasa who stood in the doorway and Armin who stood off to the side.

"Where are you going, Edith?" Mikasa asked her arms crossed and a dark scowl upon her face. Normally a look like this would make most cower, however Edith was unfazed. She was used to dealing with stroppy patients and Mikasa's stare had nothing on Norfolk's.

"I've been reassigned" replied Edith as she tried to skirt her way around the angry cadet. But Mikasa merely stepped into her path once more.

"Where are you going? Have you seen Eren? What are you doing with all your gear?" Mikasa fired back.

"…Look Ackerman" Edith sighed. She did not have time for this, "I've been placed under a gag order, which means I couldn't tell even if I wanted to. Now move, there are places I need to be" She didn't wait for Mikasa or Armin to reply as she skirted the two and joined up with Hanji by the gate. Swinging herself into the saddle with a little bit of difficulty, Edith followed Hanji towards the meeting point where Levi's squad were waiting.

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Old Scout Regiment Headquarters**

"An architectural marvel, don't you agree? A proper royal residence once upon a time and more recently? Our former headquarters" Oluo crowed in response to one of Eren's many questions. Levi was all too happy to let the taller man answer as the group approached the looming castle through one of the many forests that bordered the territory.

"Fancy, yes. But absurdly practical once the Scouts got down to business. Much, much too far removed from either river or Wall, this was the early days for us you understand; hopes soared high, now this opulent bobble is little more than a holding cell, the place where we store our newest toy"

Eren glanced over his shoulder at that remark, back towards where Levi took up the rear of the group. The man met his gaze with his usual deadpanned scowl head-on and Eren spun back around in his seat, the green hood of the cloak he had been given fluttering as he did so.

To his right sat Edith atop a pepper-coloured mare called Tui, with the reins wrapped around her good hand so that she could steer. She too had been given a green scouting cloak to wear once she and Hanji had met up with the squad.

The only difference about her, (besides the cloak and missing arm) was that she now wore a bright red cloth tied around the bicep of her left arm, indicating that she was a medic. He could see glimpses of it every now and then as her cloak fluttered in the wind.

There had been quick introductions at first, everyone giving their names and rank before they had left. Editing hadn't said much since then, not that that was unusual, Edith had always been quiet even at boot camp.

"Hey Edith?" Eren muttered catching her attention.

"Mm?" she answered.

"How'd you know Lady Colt?"

"Who? Peggy? We grew up together"

"D-Does that mean you're…a lady too?" he spluttered.

"Who? Me? Not a chance! There's too much Eight Mile in me for that!" she laughed.

"Y-you're from Eight Mile? Seriously?"

"Mm-hm…Oi! Quit looking at me like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm broken. I'm not broken!…Well mostly"

"…Sorry"

"It's fine…"

"Wait then how do you know Lady Colt? If you're not a lady, I mean"

"She married into the family. Her father was offered the betrothal proposal as part of a business deal. She marries into the family and her father gets a higher paying client with more avenues for other possible business"

"Oh"  _What was he supposed to say to that? Its not like it was unheard of, but still…_

"Yeah, well she seems happy. So y'know…" Edith trailed off, their quiet conversation trickling away as the sound of hoofbeats filled the forest.

Eren would never admit that he jumped in his seat when Oluo leaned over towards him from his left, choosing that moment to bring the young boy's attention back to himself. "Do not be deceived greenhorn"

"Excuse me?" Eren asked slightly leaning away from the man.  _God he had bad breath!_

"Don't be expecting the royal treatment, whether you're Titan or human, don't imagine for a second we  _all_  share the Captain's good will. You too Pipsq-" Oluo only got out so much before he bit down on his tongue. Hard. Blood flew as he slapped a hand over his mouth, his face screwed up in pain.

Eren threw a hand up in surrender, the other still tightly gripped to his reins as the group continued on, showing no sign of remorse at their teammates sudden pain. It was clear by their reactions that this sort of thing happened often and Oluo sunk into silence for the rest of the trip.

Glancing over at Edith he saw no sign of her having heard what had just happened as she her stormy eyes continued to follow a pair of sparrows flitter amongst the branches above them, a content expression on her face.

* * *

Edith stood next to Eren and his horse, unbuckling her horse, Tui's saddle, humming 'Sweet Child O Mine' as she did so. it was a slow process with only one hand, but it let her relax a little and listen to her surroundings.

"That's what you get for flapping your gums on horseback" scolded Petra.

"The rookie needed to know his place. First impressions are important" Oluo whined through a muffled mouth.

"Well you certainly made an impression on 'em. No question there"

"Indeed. The exchange went exactly as planned"

"What…what um happened to you? You never used to talk like this. I mean it's really none of my business, but if you're trying to copy the captain, it's kind of embarrassing. You and Levi couldn't be born less alike, even if you'd been born different species"

"Heh, if you intend to hound me like a wife, Petra dear, there's rather more of me you need to be acquainted with before you can lay claim to the privilege"

"Ha! You wish! I'd tell you to bite your tongue, but you've already got that covered. This time I hope you bleed out"

"Oh? Me thinks the lady does protest too much!" laughed Oluo.

 _So here they are: the Scout's Special Operations Squad, the Levi Squad._  Eren thought looking over at the two members sat by the stone gazebo.  _Petra Raal: 10 Titan kills to her credit, 48 kill assists._

"You disgusting swine herd!" insulted Petra in return; Oluo just laughed _. Oluo Bossard: 39 kills, 9 assists. Elite as they come._ Eren's gaze shifted to the pair walking through the courtyard as Edith pulled the bridle out of her horse's mouth.  _Eld Gin: 14 kills, 32 assists. Gunther Schultz: 7 kills, 40 assists. Every one of these Scouts were hand picked by Captain Levi for accomplishments in the field. That and…they're my executioners. They one's who'll end me if I lose it._

Eren turned to Edith who let out a small chuckle at something. "What?" he asked.  _Had he missed something?_

"Nothing, it's just…doesn't Oluo kinda remind you of Jean?" she chuckled.

"Huh?" he asked looking over at the man in question.

"Maybe it's the hair"

"Oh…yeah"  _She's kinda had a point there._

"Cousins maybe?"

"I dunno"

* * *

"Look at these weeds, this place has gone to hell" Eld commented.

"This place has been abandoned for years, bet the inside's a shambles" agreed Gunther as the two stared up at the old castle.

"In which case, we have a problem, don't we?" Levi interjected. His two subordinates turned to face him as he joined the conversation, "Best grab a broom and get to work"

* * *

As predicted, the clean-up of the castle took up most of the day. They were ordered to clean everything from window sills and light fixtures to windows and floors. The entire castle stank of bleach by the time the sun had begun to set.

Edith sat in the room that had been nominated as the infirmary, the room now sparkling clean and reeking of bleach, so much so that even with her goggles pulled on her eyes still watered at the stench. The large iron tub before her was filled with a steaming solution of water and herbs that were sterilising the medical tools within.

She had hung her jacket on one of the hooks that lined a section of the wall by the door, leaving her in her tank top, ODM harness and the standard boots & pants. Leaning down into the tub, she pulled out another set of tools to wipe down and set aside to dry, once again thankful for her small stature as the rubber glove she wore ran further up her arm than intended. Although she had to periodically pause to wipe the condensation from her lenses, it was rather relaxing work-despite her slow progress.

This wasn't her first job in the cleaning operation. Oh no. She had helped clear out one of the barracks earlier that day but had left to find something else to do when she kept flinching away from the hordes of spiders that lined the beds. Edith shuddered at the memory, she could almost feel them crawling all over her.

Despite this, she had found two untitled books-journals- that she had tucked away in her pocket before making her way here, to the infirmary. She'd read them later, for now there were other things that needed to be done.

She glanced up at the increased sound of loud purring. Off to her right lay a large ginger tom (a Maine Coon if she had to hazard a guess) enjoying the sun patch that was warming the floorboards where he lay. A smile stretched across her face when she remembered the encounter a few hours earlier with Captain Levi and Petra who had come to check in earlier.

_**The steam swirled around the room, enveloping everyone inside. They couldn't open the windows as Eld and Gunther were cleaning their exterior whilst Petra was systematically cleaning the interior of the windows and the sills.** _

_**Edith sat with her back to the door as she continued to stir in the herbs she had prepared for the sterilisation of her medical tools. Sweat was already starting to build on her brow as she worked. All was well and good, the two girls were more than happy to work in companionable silence than the awkward stuttering conversation that had occurred earlier.** _

_**Suddenly the door to the infirmary swung open to reveal Captain Levi in the doorway. He had originally come to check on the progress of the infirmary when his attention was caught by the large ginger tom lounging by Edith's feet as she worked.** _

_**"What is that?" Levi demanded, his eyes locked on the cat.** _

_**"It's a cat, sir" Edith replied smartly.** _

_**"I can see that brat. What's it doing here?"** _

_**"I assume it lives here. There's probably plenty of rats for it to eat, sir"** _

_**"Get rid of it"** _

_**"Why, sir?"** _

_**"Are you questioning my authority, Brown?"** _

_**"I'm just asking why would you want to get rid of the beast who was ridding the castle of its pests. Unless of course you would rather catch the rats yourself, sir?"** _

_**Levi hadn't answered for a moment, his eyes narrowing on the shorter girl before him and his gaze darkened as he contemplated what to say next. Petra, who stood in the far corner of the room, paused in her work as she watched the interaction, slightly shocked at the medic's brazen attitude.** _

_**"…That beast is your problem" Levi stated before he turned on his heel, slamming the door behind him. He wasn't sure why he had let the brat keep the cat, maybe because the situation had reminded him of another? Of Isabel? He shook the thoughts away as he continued on down the hall.** _

_**"How did you do that?" Petra asked shocked at the Captain's sudden change in tone, "He's always so stubborn!" Edith merely grinned in response as the cat began to purr, curling up against the warm side of the iron tub.** _

* * *

During Supper later that night, everyone was gathered around a single table in the dimly lit mess hall. Eren sat at the head of the table whilst Levi sat opposite him at the other end of the table, everyone else filled in the benches on either side.

"It's safe to assume that our standing orders will stretch into next week" Eld commented setting down his cup of tea. Across from him, Edith cupped her cup in her hand as she took a sip of the tea. Tea wasn't usually her first choice, but it warmed her up, so it wasn't like she was complaining. The tom cat that she had named Bear, lay across her feet like a blanket, fast asleep. Levi had glared at the cat, the moment it had followed her into the room; apparently he wasn't a cat person.

"Word through the grapevine is that we're gearing up for a big mission, about month from now" Eld continued, "One where a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears graduates are slated to be our main back up" Both Eren and Edith had looked up at that.  _He couldn't mean their classmates, could he?_

"That can't be right" Gunther muttered, "Why do something like that? The cadets have been through enough with the last Titan attack. Why subject them to that kind of danger again?"

"You have to wonder how many of those snivelled rug-rats pissed themselves" Oluo commented slurping his tea. Edith clutched tightly to her cup at the insinuation.  _What a dick._

"Surely that can't be the case!' Petra added turning to Levi for input.

"Mission planning isn't my responsibility, but it is Erwin's and you can bet the man's obsessed over every angle" Levi replied.

"That's the truth, especially given how unique the situation is. Consider how many people died on the operation to retake Wall Maria" agreed Eld. Edith absentmindedly finger the right-hand side of her torso as her thoughts drifted to that day. "Now consider the hope that comes in a form no one expected, one we're not entirely sure how to deal with"

At this everyone turned to look at Eren who seemed surprised at being called out all of a sudden. He had been more than happy to sit back and watch the squad interact with each other, even if they had been discussing the upcoming mission which hinged on his ability to transform and control his Titan.  _I suppose they have a right to be worried_  Eren thought as he looked down at the tabletop in front of him  _It's not like I have the best track record._

"Most of us still find it hard to believe. So how does it work? This whole changing into a Titan trick" said Eld.

"Wish I could tell you, but the fact is my memory's not clear. Guess it's kinda like being in a trance" replied Eren, still not meeting anyone's gaze "I do know that the trigger seems to be hurting myself in someway though, like biting my hand"  _Wait! Why do I know that but nothing else?_

"You're not going to get anything out of him apart from what the Scrolls have laid out in the reports. Not that you won't know who'll have a go at it" Levi interjected as sipped his tea, "You'll be lucky to come out of it alive if that one lays into you. Course it's only a matter of time"

"Who are you talking about?!" Eren demanded as a cry of pain was heard from behind the barricaded door.

Levi continued to drink his tea as Petra got up to let the person inside. It was Hanji. "Good evening, team Levi! How is castle life treating everyone?" chirped Hanji.

"You're too early" Levi grumbled.

"Am I? I just couldn't help myself!"

"Sergeant Hanji?" Eren breathed as the woman approached the two new graduates at the other end of the table.

"Hello Edith and Eren. In the event that you haven't pieced it together yet, it's my duty to spearhead the Scout Regiment's research efforts. Essentially I poke and prod our captive Titan specimens and I'd very much like your help, Eren"

"My help? In what way? Like what would I have to do?" Eren asked confused.

"Join me of course! On a quest of scientific discovery!" Hanji replied hungrily with a manic look in her eye.

"Um…Sure" Eren then turned to Edith, confusion still written across his face as he muttered, "What did I just agree to?"

"Think it through Jeager. She want's to poke you with a stick" Edith replied sipping from her cup.

"Oh.  _Oh"_

"Levi, what's on the docket for him tomorrow?" Hanji asked.

"Clearing out all the weeds" Levi dryly replied.

"Excellent! Then it's cinched! Young man, tomorrow will be grand!"

"Uh Ma'am?" Edith interrupted her rant.

"Yes, what is it?" Hanji asked, her manic expression dropping for a moment.

"It's just Peggy's supposed to be coming tomorrow to install my new arm and she says she wants to show you how to connect wires to nerve endings just in case anything happens later on" Edith replied.

"Let me see" Hanji held out her hand and Edith handed over Peggy's letter that had arrived earlier around lunchtime via carrier bird. "How long will this take?" she asked as her eyes scanned over the letter.

"Uh, probably a couple of hours at most"

"Good, that'll be fine. I can work with that" Hanji handed the letter back to Edith who folded it up and placed it next to her saucer for the time being.

* * *

Eren and Hanji were the only two who remained at the table in the mess hall once everyone else had escaped during Hanji's passionate speech about scientific discovery and intrigue. Eren almost felt betrayed as he watched even the cat who had been following Edith around all day, leave as well.

Eren tried to get comfortable as Hanji began her tale. "…As a scientist, naturally I started with the standard battery of tests that we use on all such captures…"

_**"Hello beautiful" Hanji said to the Titan who was more or less fully restrained in cables and nails.** _

"…First was an attempt at communication…"

_**"How are we feeling? Do you have a name? Are you in pain?" The blonde Titan merely grinned and panted as he leant forward until he was almost on top on Hanji.** _

_**"Sarge! You're too close!" Moblit warned from off to the side. God this woman was going to make him turn grey!** _

_**Moving to the brunette Titan, Hanji tried again "Hi there! Lovely weather, don't cha think? Are you hungry?" Her questions were suddenly cut off as she leapt backwards from the Titans snapping jaws with a yelp.** _

_**"Woohoo! That was close!" she cheered.** _

_**"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Moblit cried. Despite this, Hanji crept forward again and again she had to jump back from the snapping jaws.** _

"…Sadly my findings were consistent with all other past attempts. No communication with them seemed possible. That said my time spent in intimate proximity to these creatures, did indeed help me cope with the tediousness of day-to-day tasks"

_**"Once upon a time, many centuries ago now, there was a vicious tribe of cannibals" Hanji started pacing back and forth in front of the Titans. "You may think I'm speaking of your kind, but in fact these cannibals were human. They would maraud on wary travellers near their cave. Their ruthless parlour did not discriminate against merchant and clergymen, highborn and lowborn. Valuables were taken, flesh feasted upon"** _

_**"We gotta go through this again?" complained a Garrison soldier, leaning against the spear in his hand. "Her naming scheme is so weird"** _

_**"Yeah, what did she end up going with last time?" his comrade replied.** _

_**"It was Chikotela and Albert"** _

_**"…In the end these cannibals sustained themselves on human flesh for 25 years give or take. Historians suspect they killed somewhere around 500 people in that time. That's probably more than either you or your friend have gorged on combined.** _

_**To their creed though, they perfected the art of preparing flesh: steaks cut from hindquarter meat, leg meat diced and added to stew, belly fat ground into patties and fried, sausages made from blood clots and intestinal lining. In fact one could almost suggest that they furthered the culinary arts. In that respect they were distinct from you" Hanji continued ignoring the moans and groans from the sick soldiers behind her.** _

_**"Alas this tribe of cannibals were caught and executed by the Crown all because of a single mistake. In that respect you're similar. You both underestimated your quarry's resourcefulness and wound up captured as victims of your own appetite" Walking closer to the two, she finally decided to name the two captured Titans.** _

_**"In honour of the cannibal's notorious leader, I'm going to christen you beauties accordingly. You'll be Sonny" she said pointing to the blonde "And you'll be Bean" she pointed to the brunette. "No need to fret though, I'm not gonna publicly disembowel you or burn you at the stake. Pleasure to meet you Sonny, likewise Bean" she stated placing a hand on a finger that had been nailed through the Titans respectively. "Let's be chums, huh?"** _

"…That's how I came to name the seven metre Bean and his grinning four metre companion Sonny. The next step involved sensory deprivation, denying them sunlight. Observing as we do that Titans were less active in the nocturnal hours, we may extrapolate from this experiment that the sun is likely a key source of energy for them. Nevertheless, I discovered a profound difference between the two…"

_**"Hmm. Well done Sonny" Hanji murmured raising the lantern up to illuminate the restrained Titan inside the dark tent that had been erected around him, "See you in the morning. Sweet dreams you lug"** _

"…Corroborating the previous data, Sonny grew noticeably sluggish only after an hour's lack of sun…"

_**"My, my someone's certainly a night owl, huh? You're going to wear me out. Oh well, this wouldn't be my first all-nighter in the name of science"** _

"…Bean however still moved three hours in, a staggering find believe me. They don't require food or water to survive, they posses vocal organs but have absolutely no need to breathe and the only thing their bodies metabolise into energy is sunlight.

Every Titan may have a different threshold in regards to sunlight withdrawal so I have to be careful, don't want them dying on me, y'know? Several have passed on in captivity, owing to my ignorance, sad to say. Two passed when we accidentally struck the soft spot. Poor devils, such adorable little smiles. What we did to them was terrible and it haunts me…I mustn't let that happen again. I couldn't bare it"

"Yeah, no sure" Eren muttered, unsure of what to say to the downhearted sergent At least that was until she jumped up into his face and gripped tight to his shoulders as she shouted at him.

"CARRYING ON. PHYSICAL CONTACT WAS THE NEXT STEP BECAUSE I SIMPLY HAD TO KNOW IF THEY EXPERIENCED PAIN AS EITHER YOU OR I!"

_**Slamming a spear through Bean's head, Hanji cried as both steam and tears poured. "Woah, there's no need you to scream as well, Sergent" Moblit tried to calm her down.** _

_**"I CAN'T DO THIS AND NOT SCREAM! DAMN YOU! LOOK AT HIM! HE'S IN ABSOLUTE AGONY! MY POOR BEAN! I'M SO SORRY! HANG IN THERE!" Hanji cried, tears pouring down her face, ones that were definitely not produced from the steam stinging her eyes.** _

"…It was the only way to learn if they had any weaknesses, apart from their napes you see" Hanji continued to explain ignoring the wide-eyed look on Eren's face, "I hated myself for it"

_**Hanji then moved to test Sonny, this time she seemed more in control of herself. "Sonny? Sweet pea? I skewered you straight through the heart. Does it not hurt dear? Don't you feel that?"** _

"…Sonny was, shall we say, more introverted than his counterpart. If he felt pain, he was unwilling to show it"

_**"…Go on, talk to me!" Hanji encouraged as Sonny opened his mouth wide. The jaws snapped down on the space where Hanji had been only seconds before and Moblit was yelling at her once again.** _

_**"For the love of God! Stand clear!" he cried.** _

_**"You almost got me that time, didn't you darling? Hanji laughed.** _

_**"You want your head chopped off?!"** _

"…Sonny's range of expression is somewhat limited, I think. The only things he knows to do are lunge and bite"

"Sarge with all due respect, but how can you be so…lighthearted about them? You talk about them like they're badly behaved pets. It's just that they're the single greatest threat mankind has ever faced. They've nearly driven us to extinction, you're a Scout, you know that, you've seen them in action countless times" Eren questioned.

"True, in fact more than my fair share of friends have died in the jaws of a Titan right in front of my eyes. When I first became a Scout, I fought them out of pure white-hot hatred" Hanji replied sobering up at the question and yet still not looking Eren in the eye as she continued,

"I'd kicked the severed head of a three metres Titan out of spite. It weighed next to nothing, might as well have been a feather. In the realm of improbability, that fact would seem to rank fairly high. Their utter strength volleys against that and such was the case with every Titan. Contrary to the appearance of density and great mass, the severed limbs were as light as tree bark.

I've been given to understand that when you transform, your Titan body materialises as if from thin air. It's so bizarre, in fact the only way I can think to describe it is to compare their weight with their true substance. We've been fumbling around in the dark with our prime attack based on contempt and fear. We need a fresh strategy, one guided by knowledge, whole new way of looking at the enemy. Of course it could be a complete waste of time, still though nothing ventured, nothing gained"

 _Joining the Scouts has been an eye opener_  Eren thought as he drank from his refilled cup.  _Shock after shock, it's not just Sergent Hanji everyone here's a little off. It's like I've wandered into a sanctuary for crackpots. But they're striving for change and that's been the appeal of joining the Scouts all along, right?_

"Sergent Hanji, if I'm going to help, I think I should hear about these experiments in greater detail" said Eren much to the delight of Hanji who began her spell that lasted well into the early hours of the following morning.

* * *

After following the other's lead, Edith had escaped from the table with Bear close behind just as Eren had recaptured Hanji's attention. She returned to the infirmary where her jacket still lay. By now the water in the tub had gone cold and she set about emptying it of its contents.

The moon hung high in the sky by the time she had finished her work and instead of trying to find her way to the barracks in the dark, she decided to get into one of the infirmary beds where Bear had made himself comfortable. She stripped off her harness, pants and boots leaving them in a pile on the neighbouring bed as she made herself comfortable in her temporary bed.

Of the two journals she had discovered, the larger one in her hands had obviously been used a lot more if the wrinkled spine was anything to go by It reminded her quite a bit of her own journal, actually. In comparison the smaller journal appeared to only be a few pages long and was filled with neat handwriting scrawled across the pages. Placing the burning candle on the bedside table next to her, she opened the larger and older journal and began to read.


	20. A Choice with No Regrets: Farlan & Isabel

_**"I know I'll probably die down here, in this shit hole…but I don't wanna be forgotten…so here goes" -Farlan Church Journal** _

_**"I don't wanna be stuck in a cage anymore, I wanna be free!"-Isabel Magnolia** _

**The Underground District, Stohess**

_**"The Underground District is located under the safest section of land and is protected by the three outside Walls. An abandoned underground, left over from the sealed Immigration Plan…In this land cast aside from the light, it's not uncommon for those who are born and raised here to rot away without even a glimpse at the surface world"- Secrets Untold: The Hidden Worlds, Armin Arlert** _

"Here, sorry for the wait. Payment for both this time & last time" said Farlan doling out the day's pay. The money was split in half, the lesser amount being given to the three boys on the couch while the larger half went to the boy with the limp in the armchair. "You guys better not spend too much even if it's a mistake. We're being observed" he warned over the cheering boys.

"We know. Let's go guys!" answered the younger boy as the group followed after him.

"Jobs have been a lot easier since we got our hands on the ODM gear" Farlan stated in reply to the questioning look from Levi where he sat at the table polishing his knife, "Everyone's share has increased too"

"It seems one has increased more than the others. What's the reason?" Levi observed checking over his handiwork.

"His…Jan's legs has gotten worse again…You've noticed, right?" replied Farlan referring to the boy who had limped out of the room only moments earlier, "Medicine is really expensive. The price recently went up too. Seriously, those damn Underground merchants…Have you heard? The Stairway toll also went up"

"Yeah…"

"With that, it's even less likely for any of us to ever see the sunlight. We have to buy our way up no matter where we go, they increase the price as they want. Even if you manage to pay and get outside, without citizenship you can't stay long. You'll be sent back immediately. Apparently the lack of sunlight causes people's legs to go bad, it's not like knowing that will change anything though"

"Your mother was the same, right? So…that's why. Even so it still looked like a large sum"

"It's compensation. It…might already be too late. At the very least, I hope he finds a good hospital"

"I see"

"How much more do we need to live on the surface?" Farlan wistfully asked. Levi didn't answer at first, all too used to his friend's ramblings.

That was until a commotion outside caught their attention. Something heavy smacked itself into their door, rattling it on its hinges. Leaping to their feet with weapons in hand, the two crept towards the door. Farlan gripped the doorknob and glanced towards Levi before he ripped the door open, letting it bang against the wall as it swung inwards.

The two relaxed their stances slightly when a small red haired girl tumbled into the room, falling face first at their feet as she continued to clutch at something that she was holding to her stomach. "What? It's just a kid. That's a surprise" commented Farlan, no longer tensed for a fight.

"Not…a kid…I'm not…a kid!" muttered the girl, glaring up at the two from her place on the floor.

"Is that so? I won't feel bad for kicking you out then. I'll let the fact that you dirtied the floor, slide. Get out. Now" drawled Levi.

"What? Can't you move?" Farlan asked.

"Of course I can! Don't look down on me!" the girl retorted as she shifted upright revealing a small bird wrapped in a dirty white cloth clutched in her hand. What a hard-headed kid Levi thought as a shout from outside caught his attention. A thunder of footsteps came to a stop just below their doorstep. "Tsk. Brat, are you being chased?" Levi asked receiving no answer from the girl who had sat up with her back against the door.

"What should we do?" Farlan questioned.

* * *

"Shit! That bitch…she really bit into me" grumbled the rotund man, "When she's caught, I'll be the first to have fun with her!"

"There's no fun or anything on a brat like that" replied one of the man's companions. Now standing in their doorway, Levi and Farlan listened to the men as they leered over the tiny girl at their feet. Levi let out a noise of disgust at the words.

"Hey you!" called the rotund man, catching sight of the two in the doorway "You see a dirty little kid run this way, right?"

"Those are the only kind around" retorted Farlan as the man began to make his way up the steps.

"You guys are the thugs in this area?" the man asked.

"Pardon?"

The man stopped on the stair landing once he had full view of the scene in front of him. Both boys stood guard on either side of the open doorway, weapons in hand as the girl sat hunched over against the door, refusing to meet anyone's eye. "Oi! I've found her! I thought as much. Are you guys friends?" the man asked as his companions joined him on the landing.

"Not at all" replied Levi.

"Then hand her over to us, you'll be sorry if you cover for her. After all, she tried to get past the 11th stairway without paying!"

Both Levi & Farlan jolted in shock at this revelation but neither said a word, "You guys should know this, the 11th stairway is under the jurisdiction of one of the nobles, Lord Lobov. Anyone who tried to pass there without paying is to be prosecuted. Of course, you guys will be charged too for being her accomplice"

"If you guys get it, hurry up and hand her over!" ordered the companion.

"I don't care anymore, move away from her!" ordered the rotund man as he forced himself up the second flight of stairs and into the room, clapping Levi on the shoulder as he passed. He barely made it a step or two inside before Levi cut his finger. It was only a small cut, barely anything to worry about but it was pissing blood.

The man clutched his injured hand to his chest as Levi grabbed him by the lapels and lifted him down towards his face. "Don't touch me with your filthy hand. I might get dirty" Levi threatened before tossing the man out the door and down his steps.

"Oh my…you can't do that. We always prioritise hygiene" chirped Farlan as the man's companions tried to hold up their unconscious friend, "Wash your hands and come again"

"These guys are dangerous! Let's go!" ordered the blonde as the two companions dragged the rotund man away from the trio.

"Hey, how long are you going to hold it to your stomach?" Levi asked turning back to the girl as he cleaned his knife "It'll die y'know"

"B-but I thought it'd be warm" replied the girl as she stopped clutching onto the bird, cradling it instead.

"What's with the bird?" Farlan asked.

"It got lost on its way here, probably through some duct. So I thought I'd bring it to the surface" replied the girl, never once meeting their gazes.

"Don't tell me you tried to break through the Stairway just for that?" Farlan asked incredulously.

"This guy would want to fly instead of being stuck here underground" she answered petting the bird.

"Well, that's fine and all, but…it's wing is injured, y'know" said Farlan coming to kneel beside the girl.

"Eh? Really?"

* * *

"Wow! You're really good at this!" the girl cooed as she watched Farlan carefully bandage the bird's wings. "That's right! What's your name? I'm Isabel" she introduced.

"I'm Farlan…and that's Levi" he replied nodding towards where Levi lounged.

"Farlan and…Brother Levi" Isabel murmured.

"Brother?" Levi muttered.

"Listen! Let me join you!" Isabel exclaimed after a pause.

"Eh?"

"You guys have been using the ODM gear, right? I've seen it before. I was envious, you guys fly around like birds. Please I want to try it too!"

"What do you think?" Farlan asked Levi. Levi didn't reply at first, instead getting up to leave. It was when Isabel pleaded again that Levi replied.

"If you stay here, you need to learn how to clean before you learn to use the ODM gear" Levi merely stated before leaving the room much to Isabel's confusion. Isabel glanced over at Farlan who nodded at the young girl with a small smile had her spinning in her seat and yelling her thanks after Levi.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Isabel learnt not only how to wear the gear, but how to operate it-even if there were a few bumps along the way. She had been so happy when the bird she had saved, had finally healed his wings, her elation at the small animal's recovery had almost been palpable.

Learning to clean to Levi's standards however, had not been something she enjoyed. There was always something that had been missed or wasn't clean enough, it was a wonder her hands hadn't bled with all the scrubbing she had done.

Begrudgingly, Levi would admit that he had come to care for Isabel, seeing her as the little sister he never wanted. You probably wouldn't have noticed it, had it not been for the small gestures here and there. She'd offer him food, he'd ruffle her hair and so on.

Watching her use the ODM gear for the first time and the expression of pure bliss on her face as she soared far above the dirty city below had brought forth a strange sense of pride within him. He wasn't usually the sentimental type, so what gives?

They had found a cavern out of the way that held an opening in the ceiling, where sunlight poured in. It was here that she released the bird. Isabel wouldn't admit it, but she had fought to keep the tears at bay when she farewelled the small bird.

A single feather had floated down and landed in a small puddle at her feet. Against Levi's protests she had knelt down and tucked it into her hair. The white feather stood out like a sore thumb against her read hair, but she kept it there uncaring what it made her look like.

* * *

The trio returned from yet another outing on the ODM gear to find a well-groomed elderly gentleman checking a pocket watch outside of their home. "What's the deal, old man? You want something or what?" Isabel asked as the trio came to a stop underneath the bridge.

"I've come for a job request" replied the man as he pocketed his watch.

"Didn't you get the wrong house? This isn't a handyman shop" replied Farlan.

"I promise you a reward"

"Go home!" barked Levi leading the trio forward and towards their home.

"But I've already paid the deposit"

"You're kidding, right? This is the first time we've met you" retorted Farlan as they paused on the steps.

"That's true. But you should already know about him" replied the old man looking across the street to where Jan was slumped against a man in a fedora. The man helped him towards the carriage, before they stopped next to the second man who stood there.

"Jan!" cried Farlan.

"His leg is already at its limit. He needs to get treatment at a hospital on the surface. Isn't that right, Levi?"

"What's the meaning of this?!"

"I told you, didn't I? It's deposit for the job. You'll listen to the details now, right?"

"Fine, then" replied Levi with clenched fists as he watched the two mean lift Jan into the carriage.

* * *

The trio followed the old man all the way up the staircase, until they stopped before the last flight of stairs. Escape was right there, it was almost within reach. They could almost taste it. The trio blinked rapidly against the harsh sunlight the streamed down past the ornate carriage that stood at the top of the stairs.

"Is that them?" a voice murmured.

"Yes, I've heard that they're excellent" replied the old man that had led them here.

"Who the hell are you?" Levi questioned, raising an arm to block the sun from his face.

"It's understandable that you're wary of me. But you'll learn it's okay to trust me" replied the rotund man, his voice a deep rich tone.

"Heh, how could we?" added Farlan.

"The fact that I'm here says everything. I'm at a great risk just by being here…Have you received the deposit already?"

"I don't know how things work on the surface, but in our world it's called taking a hostage" replied Levi.

"That's just a contingency plan we laid in place. When you have successfully completed the job, you won't only be getting a huge sum of money…But also, citizenship on the surface"

* * *

After confirming, that yes, this was a legitimate deal the trio had spent about a week or so planning and sorting out how they would go about completing this job request. "Levi, everything's ready" stated Farlan as their accomplice pulled on a long brown coat and disappeared out the door. The man in question, looked up from checking over the ODM gear he had donned and nodded towards Farlan as the memory of the lord's warning washed over him.

_**"…I'll tell you this one thing…" stated the Lord, stopping the trio in their tracks "Regardless of whether you accept this job or not, the target will still make contact. In other words you can't remained unrelated in this matter"** _

* * *

The sound of ODM gear ripped through the street as the crates flew and knocked their contents to the floor. A man in long brown coat grabbed a white package and ran off much to the discontent of the merchants. "Bastards! They had us! It's those pests again!" cried a merchant.

"There they are! Someone call the Military Police!" called another.

"Yahoo!" called Isabel as she flew after Levi and Farlan.

"Levi! They're here! The pursuers!" Farlan called having glanced over his shoulder to see the group of figures cloaked in green.

"Heh, the Military Police again? Haven't they learnt their lesson?" Isabel chuckled looking back at the group. She turned to Levi expecting praise for her witty comment only to deadpan at his response.

"Are you an idiot?" he asked.

"Those moves! They're not the Military Police!" Farlan called.

"Yeah…no mistake, it's them. The Wings of Freedom crest…It's the Scout Regiment!"

"Heh! As in the people who battle the Titans? They're different than I expected"

"You guys know what to do, right?"

"Of course!" chirped Isabel.

"It''s the job, right?" added Farlan before the trio split up, pulling their pursuers in different directions.

 _Now then, let me see how good the Scout Regiment really is!_  Levi thought as he accelerated on the gas, twisting and turning through the different short cuts and paths that he knew by heart. Coming out on the other street, he was barely able to dodge the attempt to slice through his wires as he zoomed on.

Passing under a low bridge for cover, he was soon under attack when one of the Scouts burst through the clay, sending the dirt flying everywhere and knocking him to the floor. Levi rolled to a stop, flipping back to his feet and swung his knife towards the scruffy blonde scout, barely nicking his hand as the man dodged. Levi moved to strike again when a clean shaven blonde Scout appeared from above, blade in hand as he engaged Levi in combat.

"Stop it. Take a look around you" stated the blonde as the two struggled for dominance. Levi had a firm grip on one of the blonde's wrists and his other hand gripped tight to the knife which in turn was gripped tight in the blonde's other hand.

Levi's eyes glanced around at the situation around him as he continued to struggle with the larger man. "Let me go you bastard! Damn it all!" cried a struggling Isabel as a female Scout tried to restrain her.

"Levi!" cried Farlan his calm facade falling slightly as he caught sight of Levi's situation. Levi paused for a moment before letting his knife clatter to the floor with a scowl upon his face.

"You're quick at reading the situation" praised the blonde as the two backed off from each other.

It didn't take long for the three to be stripped of their ODM gear, placed in chains and pushed to their knees in front of the blonde Scout with the others surrounding them. "I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer. Where did you get this?" started the blonde gesturing to the ODM gear they had taken from the trio, "You guys are skilled with ODM gear, who taught you all that?"

He received no reply from the trio as he moved forward to stand in front of Levi, "You're the leader, right? Were you trained in the military?" When no reply was given, Levi's head was smashed into a muddy puddle by the blonde's feet. Levi struggled to move his head and glare up at the man before him, his gaze full of hatred. "I'll ask you one more time. Where did you learn to use the ODM gear?"

"Not from anyone! We learnt it ourselves!" Farlan burst out.

"Self-taught, you say? I don't buy it" replied the blonde.

"Buy it or not, it's true! Just 'cause your head's so far up your own ass!" Isabel cried receiving a smack to the back of her head for her efforts.

"You surface dwellers wouldn't understand!" Farlan added.

"That's enough! Let brother go! Quit being cocky you son of a bitch!"

Levi was yanked from the dirty puddle by the roots of his hair, the muddy water ran down his face like tears and dripped onto the floor. The blonde knelt down in the puddle Levi's face had been in moments before as he spoke, "My name is Erwin Smith and yours is?"

"…Levi"

"Levi…Why don't we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"I will let your crimes go unpunished. In return, lend me your strength and join the Scout Regiment"

"And if I refuse?"

"The Military Police will take you. Considering all of your crimes, you and your friends won't be treated very nicely. Choose wisely"

"…Fine. I'll join the Scouts" Levi spat.

* * *

Now garbed in military wear, the trio stood in leisurely stances as part of the newest batch of Scout recruits. The past few days had been such a blur. Between being shipped from the Underground to the Scout HQ and all the obstacles that they had to overcome just to get to this point…it was almost like they had been transported to an entirely new world.

One where they were no longer one of the top dogs. Levi hated it. He hated that they were being paraded around like some shiny new toys and he held no doubts about that. That's all they were to these people, shiny new toys to use until they broke.

"ATTENTION ALL!" cried Commander Shadis from in front of the Scouts. The trio stood only a few paces behind them, all with different levels of boredom on his or her face. "FROM TODAY, THESE THREE WILL BE FIGHTING ALONGSIDE YOU ALL! INTRODUCE YOURSELVES!" There was a moment of silence before Levi spoke up, his arms still crossed.

"The name's Levi" he drawled.

"Levi…the first thing you'll need is some goddam discipline! Next!"

"I'm Isabel Magnolia! Nice ta meet'cha!" said Isabel, her tone far more cheery than Levi's.

"My name is…Farlan Church" saluted Farlan.

"Flagon, these three will be assigned to your squad. Look after them" Shadis ordered much to the dismay of Flagon.  _That's what you get for complaining, asshole._  Shadis thought.

"M-my squad, sir?" stuttered Flagon.

"Did I stutter?"

"N-no…But shouldn't Erwin…"

"Erwin is tasked with the soldier's formation. The new recruits will be your responsibility, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

Yes, Levi hated this new arrangement, but so did Flagon. It was the one thing they had in common.

"These are the barracks" Flagon instructed, leading the trio to their final destination after giving them a brief tour of the HQ. It was quite a spacious room filled with large wooden bunk beds that ran the length of the room. The light from a few lanterns danced around the room, illuminating the beds that stood beneath them.

"There are quite a few" Farlan commented as he followed the captain inside, his sack of things thrown over his shoulder.

"Yay! We're all in the same room!" cheered Isabel who came in next. Levi brought up the rear but said nothing.

"Women have a separate section" said Flagon.

"What?! But I wanna stay here!" Isabel cried.

"You two boys will sleep lot have been living in the dumps of the Underground, but do try to keep this place clean" Flagon continued as he watched Levi walk over to the beds the captain had pointed out and ran his fingers along the underside of the top bunk. Rubbing his dusty fingers together, he still said nothing but Farlan & Isabel knew that that wouldn't last long. Levi liked things to be clean. Apparently this wasn't clean enough. "Wh-What's with that look? How dare you approach a superior officer with that attitude-"

Levi's scowl never left his face as Farlan's arm suddenly came down in between the two, moving to stand between them so as to subtly try and break up the argument before it even began. "Sorry! Got it, we'll try and keep the place clean" he saluted.

"Tch. You'll begin training first thing tomorrow, got it?" replied Flagon walking out the door, calling over his shoulder as he went, "Your hand's upside down!" To which Farlan quickly corrected it.

Behind him, Levi was already obsessively cleaning his fingers, something that did not surprise Farlan when he scolded his friend. "Don't pull any more stunts like that, Levi. We've got enough eyes on us already, we don't need anymore"

"Did you not hear what that piece of shit was spouting out of his shitty mouth?" Levi replied clenching his cloth covered fist.

"We weren't caught by accident, you know. I hope you haven't forgotten why we're here, Levi"

"Yeah, I know"

_**"…The Scout Regiment will likely come after you. Be sure to put up a little resistance. There are two things you'll need to do for me. First you will obtain a certain document which is in the possession of Erwin Smith and secondly, to kill the Scout Regiment's Corporal Erwin Smith. Those are your jobs…"** _

* * *

Isabel loved horse riding. It was her favourite part of training. Her and the horse moved in tune, hearts beating as one as they raced in circles around the field. Up here in the saddle, it was almost like she was flying. Like she was free. "You're a natural! Have you done this before?" a female Scout asked.

"Nah, but I've always been fond of animals. This guy likes me too!" chirped Isabel, petting the horse's mane.

"No way!"

"I'm serious!"

Off to the side, Levi was being fitted for the regulated ODM gear. The group before him watched on as Flagon commented on the way he held in the blade in his grip. Muscle memory making him fall into the familiar hold of how he had always held his knife. It seemed so little in comparison.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? The blades weren't designed to be held like that. Do you wanna die the moment you step outside the Walls?" said Flagon.

"That might just happen to you" replied Levi who had turned his back to the group and made his way over to the forest where is ODM aptitude test was supposed to take place.

"What did you just say?"

"All I have to do is slice the Titan's nape, right? I'll do it my way"

Flying through the trees felt as natural as it had done in the Underground, Levi found, even more so with the wider platforms to make his tight twists and turns. Down below he could hear whispers of a conversation from the group as it floated up through the canopy.

"Was he given any formal training?" Hanji asked as she watched him fly.

"No, I don't believe so" replied Moblit.

"Good, very good! Everything from the way we search for Titan to the way we take them down is dependant upon the individual methods. Woohoo! This is starting to get interesting!"

"Do you really think you can take on a Titan without training?" one of the Scouts that was manning the wooden Titan called up to Levi who was fast approaching. There was no reply as Levi spun underneath the jaw of the Titan and yanked himself up onto the tree branch above the target. Spinning the blade around his preferred grip, he launched himself downwards and sliced through the fleshy nape of the Titan with such strength that chunks of foam flew.

"Woah! What's with that incredible speed?"

Flagon landed on the trunk of the tree that Levi had just vacated so that he could evaluate Levi up close. So that he could find a flaw, any flaw that would allow him to dismiss the trio from the Scouts.  _So this is the 'talent' that Erwin was talking about?_  It wasn't going as well as he had hoped.

* * *

Levi stood guard outside Erwin's office while Farlan shifted through the captain's things. They had been lucky enough to catch a moment when Erwin hadn't been holed up in his office for hours on end. Thank Maria for long winded meetings!

 _Dammit! Where is it?_  Farlan thought as he searched the bookshelves and the desk in the corner.  _I though this would be easy, considering how little things there are in here._  He was soon brought out of his thoughts by Levi's quick knock on the door signalling Erwin's return.

He did a quick once over of the room to see if anything looked like it had been rifled through before he slipped out of the door and back to the barracks where Isabel was waiting, with Levi in tow. They missed Erwin by seconds.

* * *

"We won't find it no matter how many times we look" explained Farlan looking downcast "It's probably best to assume it isn't in his room"

"Then where could it be?" Isabel asked.

"What do you do with something you really want to keep safe?" Farlan questioned in return.

"Inside my bra of course!"

"Now, I'm pretty sure Erwin doesn't wear a bra, so it's highly likely that he's carrying it with him. And so I was thinking…We could use the next expedition to our advantage. Outside the Walls, Erwin and the others will be concentrated on the Titans. We just have to wait for an opportunity"

"I see. Great idea!"

"You okay with that, Levi?"

"Sure" Levi replied his thoughts flashing to their capture; of how his friends struggled against their bonds, "But I'll be going alone"

"What?!" the other two chorused.

" You two, just think up any excuse to stay behind"

"Brother…" Isabel trailed "Why?!"

"We haven't seen a real Titan yet, and it'll be out first time outside the Walls. It may take all we've got just to make it back alive. But if I'm by myself, I'll manage it easier"

"But-"

"So what you're saying is that we can't handle it, right?" Farlan interjected with his eyes narrowed.

"That's right. At least, that's how I feel"

"How can you say that?! You won't know until we've at least tried! What's wrong? This isn't like you!" Isabel cried.

"If you won't stay behind, then we're done talking! We'll wait for a different opportunity" Levi snapped with his hands clenched at his sides. He then walked off, ignoring the protests from his friends as he made his way outside to try and cool before he faced them again.

Sitting upon the turrets that lined the castle wall, Levi stared up at the cloudy night sky and revelled in the evening breeze that blew through the meadow, carrying scents of dewy grass towards him. "Brother…" came Isabel's quiet whisper from behind him, making him turn in his seat.

"Levi, let's talk about this" started Farlan with a look of determination plastered across his face. Levi was gonna hear what they had to say whether he liked it or not, "I can't agree with you going alone, that's still just as dangerous for you!"

"You said that when we first stepped outside it'd be the  _three_  of us  _all_  at once. Have you forgotten?" added Isabel.

"It's the same. When you can't see the moon or the stars, the sky up here is just the same as down there" Levi replied facing forward once more.

"The colour of the sky, sure. But…but it's different" said Farlan, Levi glancing over his shoulder at them.

"We know that there's no ceiling! It's completely different!" Isabel's approach was a lot less gentle than Farlan's.

"That's right. The sky is endless, it may be just as dark, but it's far different from underground"

"Look! The moon is do bright! Right? There's a difference, isn't there?" Isabel and Farlan sat down on either side of Levi as they watched the moon come out from behind the clouds, basking them in its eerie glow.

"Yeah, we're not underground. We'll never go back down there"

"He's right, Brother. The three of us always manage to pull through, right? It'll be the same with the Titans, let's do this  _together"_

"Levi, believe in us"

"Alright, I'll believe in you" Levi smiled.

"Yay! Brother sure is a stubborn one, ain't he?"

* * *

 **23rd Scout Regiment Expedition**  
**Shiganshina District**

"OPEN THE GATE! TODAY, WE TAKE ANOTHER STEP FORWARD! SHOW ME THE FRUITS OF YOUR TRAINING! SHOW ME THE STRENGTH OF HUMANITY! WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE 23RD EXPEDITION BEYOND THE WALLS! CHARGE!" Shadis called as the gate opened and he led the charge out into the open fields beyond the Walls. The Underground trio couldn't help but bask in the sun as they took their first steps outside the Walls. It was open air and wide open spaces out here. It was heaven

"What are you doing? Don't lose your focus!" Flagon called racing up Levi's left, "We're not here to sightsee, there's no telling when we could run into a Titan!"

"Hah! If we do see one, we'll clean it up for you!" Isabel laughed full of bravado.

"Idiot! You wanna be the first to die?"

"What's your problem?"

"You're only able to talk like that 'cause you've never seen a Titan before. You have no idea just how many good soldiers have been eaten…"

"TITAN SIGHTED! AHEAD AND TO OUR RIGHT! IT'S A 15 METRE!" came the call from up the front.

"That's…a Titan?" Isabel muttered, "It's fucking ugly"

"TWO 10 METRE TITANS COMING UP THE REAR!"

"They're too close for us to slip away" murmured Shadis looking over his shoulder at the lumbering giants, "PREPARE FOR COMBAT! EQUIP YOUR ODM GEAR!" The soldiers needed no more reminders as they took to the air, using the trees to fly forward and leaving the horses to continue on in the formation as they had been trained to do.

"Flagon, shoot your flare!" ordered Erwin.

"I know!" replied the captain as he shot a red signal flare up into the sky.

"Commander, let's tighten our formation. It looks like it's going to rain"

Up ahead the older officers of Flagon's squad took down the 15 metre that had been approaching them. "Incredible!" Isabel watched on in awe as the soldiers moved with ease and practised movements.

"They're far more impressive than the Military Police!" Farlan added from her right. "They're here! Two of them!" Two Titans had somehow managed to sneak in behind the two and were close on their heels.

"You two, stay your course!" Flagon cried looking over his shoulder at the situation. Unfortunately he had forgotten to take into account the third member of the trio who had turned back to face the Titans. Farlan and Isabel didn't even think twice about going to help Levi with the Titans.

 _Are they trying to get killed?_  Flagon thought as he watched Levi launch up into the sky, using his horse as a launching pad and struck his blades through the nape of one of the Titans. His blades cut clean through as he span, using the recoil in his taut wires to shoot back up into the air.

Levi could only watch on as Isabel and Farlan took on the second Titan. Together they launched themselves at the Titan, blades at the ready. Levi felt like his heart was in his chest as he watched the Titan grab Isabel in a tight hold around her legs; a quick flash of blades and she was free. Farlan was next as he went straight for the nape, slicing through the meat with a strength that was fuelled by a desire to protect. Levi stowed his blades when the Titan fell.

"ALL TITANS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED! EVERYONE REGROUP!"

"How was that Levi? We took down a Titan all by ourselves!" Isabel crowed remounting her horse along with Levi and Farlan. "We did it, Brother! We did it!"

"Yeah…You guys did well" said Levi.

"Captain, those three…" trailed a Scout.

"Yeah. Im beginning to understand why Erwin was so insistent on having them join" Flagon quietly replied to the Scout next to him.

"Indeed, that was impressive considering it was your first time" added Erwin coming up next to the resting group, "But you used too much gas, you need to be especially conservative out here"

"You're expecting me to take the priority of my equipment over the lives of my friends?" Levi replied, cutting off Farlan before he even had a chance to speak.

"You're performing a lot of unnecessary movements. Are you beginning to have doubts? If you are, that'll be the death of you very soon"

"Damn him! He'd better watch his back when he's alone!" Isabel muttered angrily.

"Shh! He'll hear you!" Farlan scolded.

* * *

It didn't take long for the sprinkling rain to start coming down in buckets, making it hard to see not only the landscape around them, but the Titans hiding in the mist.  _Damn! It's difficult to see in this rain!_  Erwin thought, thankful for the many layers he wore.  _If the storm gets any worse, the flares won't be of much use._

"Erwin, should we reduce our speed?" Shadis asked.

"Yes, though I'd like to get away from this open area as soon as possible" he replied before firing a green signal flare up into the sky. Hoping beyond hope that the rest of Scouts could see it through all this rain.

"I didn't know rain could be this heavy!" Isabel complained tucking her chin further into her cloak. Even with the hood on, it didn't provide thatch protection from the pelting rain.

"Neither. We won't even be able to see any Titans before it's too late!" replied Farlan.

"This is our chance" Levi piped up as he leant low over his horse, "We'll use this rain as a cover and get close to Erwin"

"Levi! Are we gonna go for it, Brother?" Isabel asked for reassurance.

"Yeah. But it's be suspicious if all three of us were to break away at once. I'll go alone"

"True, it's probably best not to carelessly move around" agreed Farlan.

"Alright, fine. We're counting on you, Brother! Go and secure our surface citizenship!"

"If anyone asks, tell them I went to survey the terrain"

"Got it!"

 _Just you wait Erwin Smith! I'll kill you with these two hands!_  Levi thought as he rode off into the fog. Farlan and Isabel waved furiously as they watched their friend and brother disappear into the long hanging fog, their hopes and dreams riding on his shoulders.

That was the last time they ever saw him, that was the last time they saw anyone. It's almost funny how quickly their demises came upon them; staying back in the promise to stay safe only to end up spending their last few moments drenched in fear.

Both Farlan and Isabel had never felt true fear like this, only here and now when they were staring death right in the face. In his last moments Farlan thought of Levi and Isabel, and the memories they had made in their short time together. His friends, his family. Gone.

_**"** **It is only in death that we are truly free"-Anonymous** _


	21. A Choice with No Regrets: Levi

_**"Shitty Four-Eyes reckons this will help with the pain…we'll see"- Levi Ackerman Therapy Journal** _

**Beyond the Walls**   
**23rd Scout Regiment Expedition**

It all started with his decision to push ahead with the plan to assassinate Erwin, using the low hanging fog as cover.  _Sure, it might be a little difficult to separate the asshole from his position at the front of the pack. L_ evi thought as he fingered his knife that sat tucked up the inside of his sleeve.  _But, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it._

His musings were cut short when he came upon a grizzly scene. Pieces of bodies and stray limbs were laid strewn about the landscape with blood painting the ground like a macabre artwork. The scent of death permeated through the dense rain, blanketing him in its stench.

"What the hell…happened here?" Levi wondered aloud. A small movement off to the side caught his attention, there was a survivor! A Scout just barely clinging to life raised his head and his hand as he gasped out. "The…Titan…" before he toppled over and died.

Levi couldn't help but think that that Scout had looked familiar, even if he couldn't put a name to a face. Horror settled in his stomach as he looked back the way he had come. "No way…Did we pass each other?" With a quick snap of the reins, Levi raced back into the fog tracing the muddy prints through to another similar scene as the one he had just left.

Just then, his horse lost footing in the slippery mud and sent the both of them careening along the muddy ground. Levi eventually came to a stop when he crashed into a blood soaked body. Despite his hands slipping in the mud and blood a couple of times, Levi was able to push himself up into a sitting position so that he could take stock of the situation around him.

Levi looked down at his filthy hands, instinctively puling out a cloth to clean them when something stopped him cold in his tracks. The pristine white cloth, the one with flowers haphazardly embroidered along the edges in varying colours fell from his hands. The cloth that had been a birthday gift from Farlan and Isabel floated gently to the ground, becoming stained by the blood at his feet.

Eyes blown wide, Levi stared unblinkingly at the head before him. Staring up at him with unseeing stormy eyes full of fear. Red hair that was matted with blood and falling out of their messy pigtails. Pigtails, he'd always said made her look like a brat. Isabel. With trembling hands he reached forward and closed her eyes, unable to look at those dead eyes anymore.

Levi's gaze travelled up towards the groaning, crunching sound a little further down the field. There crouched a Titan, its blood red eyes locked on his as it bit the corpse in its mouth, clean in half. The Titan slurped down the legs, spitting the lanky torso out onto the ground where it bounced and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. The corspe's arms sprawled above his matted mousy hair, frightened eyes staring up at the dark rainy sky. Farlan.

He couldn't believe it. They were gone, dead. But he had been talking to them only moments before! They couldn't be gone! And yet…The Titan seemed to have satisfied its taste with the dead as it moved to go after Levi, the only living human in close range.

Watching the Titan spit out his friend with such nonchalance caused something inside him to snap. How dare it kill his friends! His family! How dare it throw them aside like trash! There was one thing Levi knew for sure as anger and rage covered his mind, blinding him in his sudden need for revenge, this Titan would pay.

Blinded by rage, Levi refused to give the Titan a quick and easy death. Instead, he struck first at its shoulder, then its arms, face, chest. Anywhere he could land a hit. Finally the Titan's head flew clean off the body, sailing through the air as Levi continued his attack. Off with the hands, tearing up the legs and stomach.

Eventually he had to stop, the flailing Titan corpse was becoming too much to dodged and he had to gaze remained lowered as the Titan fell to the ground and the surviving Scouts surrounded the steaming Titan corpse. By now the Titan flesh was evaporating off the bones, leaving only the skeleton behind. Levi hadn't moved once as the other Scouts secured the perimeter. "So you're the only survivor" Erwin began "How pathetic" That did it. Snapping out of his trance, Levi leapt forward, blades drawn and his lips pulled back in a snarl. The perfect image of a feral child.

"I'm going…to kill you!" Levi growled as he engaged Erwin in combat, his blade struggling to move against the stronger man.

"That's why I'm here! These documents revealing Lord Lobov's crimes are a fake" Erwin replied shoving Levi away and dropping a scroll to the floor. "The real ones have likely reached Daris Zachery by now. Lobov is finished"

"You knew everything right from the start!" Levi accused, his expression going from shocked to angry in seconds, "You knew we were after you, and yet you-"

Levi lunged forward to strike again only for Shadis to intervene, restraining the boy before Levi's legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground with tears running down his face. Their last words running through his head as he stared at where their corpses still lay.

_**"We're counting on you, Brother!"** _

_**"Believe in us!"** _

Levi felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. The two people in the whole world who meant so much to him were gone. There was no way he would ever get them back. I should've stayed with them, I could've helped! Then maybe they wouldn't be dead! It's all my fault! They died for nothing!

"Don't. You'll regret it" Erwin said, easily reading Levi's face, "If you begin to regret, you'll dull your future decisions and let others make your choices for you. All that's left for you then is to die. Nobody can foretell the outcome. Each decision you make holds meaning only by affecting your decision. We're going to continue the expeditions. I expect you to come with me"

By now the rain had cleared and the sun shone through the clouds, basking the soldiers in its warmth. It's almost like the world was trying to say something to him.

* * *

_**"I don't understand. I've never understood. Even if I believe in my own strength. Even if I believe in the decisions of my trusted friends…In the end nobody…but this man is gazing up at something I can't even see. Fine. I'll follow you, Erwin Smith. I will never regret this decision for as long as I live"-Levi Ackerman** _

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Infirmary, Old Scout Regiment Headquarters**

Levi had been wandering the halls of the old Scout HQ for some time now. By now, everyone had gone to bed, well everyone except for Hanji and Eren who were  _still_  chattering on about Titan experiments in the mess hall.

Moving from the barracks where the others slept, (girls on the left and boys on the right) he made his way to the infirmary where he found the second newest recruit passed out on one of the beds. Her auburn hair spread out across the pillow like some kind of halo and the cat sat clutched to her chest as she slept. The large ginger cat looked up at him when he entered before tucking his nose back under his paw and going back to sleep, determining that he wasn't a threat.

With a small sigh, Levi crept over and made to blow out the burning candle when he caught sight of the two worn books next to the girl. Two very familiar books. Glancing at the face of the sleeping girl, he wondered how she came across them. He thought they had been lost for good.

Without thinking too much about it, he carefully pried the smaller book from Edith's fingers and picked up the large book from the nightstand before he blew out the candle and plunged the room into darkness.


	22. Eve of the Counter Attack: What Needs to be Done Now

_**"You've gotta break, before you can create…clear out the old to make way for the new…"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Old Scout Regiment Headquarters**

Hanji and Eren's one-sided conversation was suddenly cut short by the doors to the mess hall slamming open. There stood a panting Moblit who had clearly just run a fair distance if his heavy breaths and red cheeks were anything to go by. "Sergent Hanji! Come quickly! The test subjects are dead! Both of them were killed!"

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Scout Regiment Titan Experiments, Trost Headquarters**

"AH! SONNY! BEAN! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?! SOMEONE TELL ME THIS ISN'T REAL!" Hanji screeched buckling to her knees as she stared upon the steaming Titan corpses, only a few bits of flesh remained on the bones.

"They were such valuable specimens" Eld commented on the tragedy, Hanji's cries drowning out their quiet conversation.

"Is this a soldier's work?" questioned Gunther.

"Yeah, but they haven't pegged the one responsible yet. They were killed just before dawn, apparently. By the time the guards got here, the bastard had cleared out on ODM gear"

"Whoever it was must've had a lookout to warn them about the guards"

"Oh dear, someone's gone stark raving mad, haven't they?" said Oluo watching Hanji breakdown.

"Ugh!" muttered Petra as she elbowed Oluo hard in the ribs.

"How did…how did this happen?" Eren muttered as he watched on, trying to hide beneath his green cloak.

"Let it go. This is a matter for the Military Police" Levi stated, cutting off Eren's train of thought before he walked off to take care of something else. Edith stood on Eren's other side, practically drowning in her cloak as she watched the situation unfold.  _If someone really wanted them dead, why did they wait this long? Why not kill the Titans when they first arrived? Was Hanji close to figuring something out?_  Edith thought.

"What is it you think you see? Who do you think the real enemy is here?" Erwin asked suddenly popping up between the two new recruits. Edith jumped at his sudden appearance muttering a curse under her breath as she spared a glance at the Commander. "Ignore me, loaded question"

 _What the fuck was that all about?_  Edith thought as she turned to watch Erwin and Levi exit without so much as a glance backwards.

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Old Scout Regiment Headquarters**

After the odd start to the morning, Edith stood in the yard raking up the dead leaves that littered the path. It wasn't the most taxing job, but Edith couldn't do much with only one arm, so here she was.

The sound of squealing children broke her from her thoughts just in time for her to eat dirt as a pair of arms latched themselves around her legs and a second body tackled her to the ground with a yell.

"AUNTIE PIP!" chorused the young laughing voices as she fell face first with a yelp. Rolling over with a groan, Edith pushed herself upright just in time to receive a mouthful of mismatched hair, honey blonde on the left and dirt brown on the right.

"It's good to see you, too" Edith smiled spitting out strands of hair as the two pulled back.

"Look Auntie! Look! I lost a tooth!" cried the brunette poking her tongue out gap in her front teeth.

"So you did, Jules"

"Mama says the tooth fairy's gonna give me money if I put it under my pillow tonight!"

"Maybe you should take out the rest of your teeth and then you'll be rich!" teased the blonde.

"Oh yeah!"

"Ah ha, best not, John" interjected Edith, smiling slightly at the image of a gummy five year old, "Hey why don't you two go say hi to the horses?" she suggested glancing over the twins' shoulders to see Peggy waddling down the path with her bag full of tools with Levi beside her.

"HORSIES!" cheered Juliet sprinting off towards the stable, all too happy to forget about her aunt in favour of her favourite animals. Her brother not too far behind.

Without the added weight of two five year olds, Edith easily got to her feet, dusted off her pants and joined Peggy & Levi where they had stopped to watch the two children run across the yard towards the stables. "They'll be fine out here, right?" Peggy worried as they watched Petra try to corral the children away from being trampled under foot.

"Those two? They're tough as nails, they'll be fine" Edith easily replied.

"I know, but still…"

"Peggy, they'll be fine…Been drivin' the hubby a bit nuts though, have they?"

"Oh you have  _no_  idea. Dan's about this far away from getting them leashes and walking them around town like dogs. Lost John in the fish markets the other day,  _what_  a nightmare"

"As scintillating as this conversation is, don't you have something else that needs to be done?" Levi drawled cutting through their conversation.

"Right. Well, where's Hanji?" muttered Peggy as she glanced around her for the scientist who was standing behind them with red-rimmed eyes, "Oh there she is"

* * *

"Right, you know the drill. Shirt off" Peggy ordered laying her tools out on the table next to bed that they had pulled out slightly from the wall.

"Usually you buy dinner first" Edith teased as she expertly shrugged off first her tan jacket, slipped out of her ODM harness and pulled off her pale tunic; dumping the clothes in a pile one bed over. It seemed to irritate Levi something fierce as he folded the shirt and jacket up before placing them aside.

"Oi! Bra too" Reaching behind her back and with a practised hand, Edith unhooked her grey sports bra and dumped that next to her neatly folded clothes before lying down flat on the bed, making sure that her socket lined up with the bedside table that they had cleared and moved over to place the new prosthetic arm on.

"Ball or belt?" Peggy asked gesturing to the two gagging instruments laid out next to the tools.

"Belt" Edith replied trying to get comfy.

As she got herself situated, she could practically feel Hanji's and Levi's stares rove across her body as she shamelessly revealed herself to them. She knew what they would see. First their eyes would be drawn to the large metallic socket that was connected to her right shoulder, where some of the nuts and bolts ended just above her breast.

Next their eyes would travel down her torso where a large bite scar was present. One that was far too large to be human and far too wonky to be a large animal, which left only Titans. The scar covered the majority of the right-hand side of her torso and although the scar had faded over time, it still served as a strong reminder about that day.

And finally there were a small smattering of old scars from bootcamp that surrounded the crossed circular brand-like scar that rested on her left breast, just above her heart."Alright, let's get started" declared Peggy, tools in hand. Edith placed the belt into her mouth and waited for the pain to come, her eyes staring up towards the ceiling as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

* * *

About an hour or so later, Edith was yanked out of her nap with a jolt of pain. "Son of a bitch!" she cried jolting upright, spitting the belt from her mouth and clutching to the socket as she blinked blearily at her friend.

Next to Peggy, Hanji was clutching onto her shirt, clearly trying to calm her wildly beating heart. She had not expected that. "You'd said you'd warn me when you'd connect the nerves!"

"Nerves" Peggy deadpanned.

"Bite me"

"Looks like someone beat me to it"

"Oh ha ha" Edith replied sarcastically as she laid back down on the bed and placed the belt back in her mouth.

"Oi Grumpy, hold her down" Peggy gestured to the slightly blushing Levi who in turn came to stand in the space between the wall and the bed and gently placed his hands on Edith's shoulders, trying to look anywhere but the young recruit. Sometimes Edith forgot that not everyone was open about the human body as she and most medics were. They almost seemed prudish in comparison.

"Right, Hanji. Come here, you're gonna learn how to connect wires to nerve endings" That was all the warning Edith had before the first nerve was connected. She groaned at the sharp sting of pain, screwing her face up as she bit down on the belt in her mouth. She knew that the stings of pain would eventually fade to a dull ache, before disappearing all together, but that didn't mean she had to like the process.

It seemed to take forever for all the nerves to be connected by which point, Levi had had to press down harder to hold her in place and the procedure had started to take its toll on Edith. By now, Edith had sweat gathering on her brow, she was almost whining her way through the pain, her nervous jelly legs had turned into pins-and-needles and tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

"And that's the last…one" said Peggy tightening the last bolt before stepping back and admiring her handiwork. Edith waited until she felt that Levi had let go of her shoulders, before she unscrunched her eyes and blinked several times as the light blinded her temporarily.

Sitting upright with her legs crossed, she pulled the belt from her mouth and ignoring the saliva cover teeth-indentation, she stretched out her sore mouth before moving onto her new arm.

"How is it?" Peggy asked as she put away her tools.

"Good. It's a lot lighter than the last one, what's it made of?" Edith asked as she rolled her stiff shoulder.

"Beryllium. The same stuff your blades are made of"

"Really?" Edith began clenching and unclenching her fist, checking mobility before moving on to flexing her fingers.

"Mm. We had a bunch of scraps come into the forge, figured they'd work a treat. Which means that not only is it a lot lighter than the last one, it's also more durable"

"Cool"

* * *

Hanji and Levi stood next to the carriage as Peggy leant out the window giving the duo some final instructions about Edith who was sound asleep in the infirmary bed back in the castle. "She'll probably sleep through the rest of the day, and she'll be fine to start regular work in a couple of days, nothing too heavy until then. Other than that she should be fine. If you have nay other questions, write me"

Both Hanji and Levi nodded as the carriage pulled off down the path. Inside across from Peggy lay John and Juliet in a bundle of limbs wrapped around each other fast asleep. They had worn each other out (and Petra too apparently) playing in the yard while she was busy.

They had just barely been awake to say goodbye to Edith when it was time for them to go. Smiling at her two eldest, she placed a hand on her swollen stomach and watched the world go by, content with what she had.

* * *

"That  _whole_  inspection and they didn't turn up one person who used their ODM gear without permission. Tch, who could've done it?" mused Gunther sipping from his mug.

"Beats me" replied Eld, "Right now, I'm more concerned with the recruitment drive tonight, how many recruits are crazy enough to join the regiment with the highest casualties?"

"HEY EREN! YOU KNOW IF ANYONE IN YOUR CLASS IS THINKING ABOUT JOINING THE SCOUTS?" Gunther called over to Eren who was currently feeding the horses.

"Yeah, there are a few…or at least there were. I'm really not so sure now" replied Eren before joining the others on patrol under the watchful eye of Levi.

* * *

The following day, Edith met up with her fellow rookie medics to learn about how things operated in the Scouting Regiment and where they would be placed within the expedition formation.

_**"Our training began in ernest the next day, however the lessons were rarely combat oriented with and emphasis on memorising Commander Erwin's long range scouting formation. Despite being such a precisely detailed and meticulously calculated formation, Eren Jeager's position was somewhat less than clear…"-Trials of a Rookie,Armin Arlert** _

"You rookies will be interspersed throughout the formation, the majority of you will be situated here. Between the wagon defence squads and the Scout support squads on either side. You will tend to the survivors, collect bodies, relay signals and messages if needs be" stated Peter Williams, the head field medic, pointing out the different locations on the diagram.

_**"…Moving on from the theoretical lessons, us medics were also sent out to gather and collect herbs from the surrounding forests…Something I hadn't done since boot camp"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

* * *

In the wee hours of the evening, Edith returned with the other rookie field medics to find the courtyard was a lot more crowded than when they had left. The rookie soldiers were here. "Hey Eddie, we'll see you inside, okay?" called Piper Mellows, (a tall blonde girl from Karanese) as Edith made her way over to the 104th recruits.

"Okay, see you guys then" waved Edith, "Hey guys!" she greeted, readjusting the strap on her bulging satchel as she came to stand next to Eren in front of the large group.

"Edith! You're here!" smiled Armin.

"I did tell you"

"No you…oh, that's what you meant" Edith shifted in her spot as she felt Mikasa murderous glare focus itself on her.

"So if this is everyone, where's Marco?" she asked looking around the cheerful group. That killed the mood rather quickly. Everyone's faces dropped into expressions of despair as Jean spoke up.

"Marco's dead" he muttered looking down at his shoes.

"What?" said Eren.

"I wish I could tell you he died nobly or heroically but the truth is I don't even know how he went out. He died alone and there was no one there to see it happen"

"Oh" Edith quietly added twisting her hands through the hem of her tunic shirt.

Thankfully the sombre mood was cut short by Ness who held a pile of new Scout cloaks for the rookies. "LISTEN UP! YOUR UNIFORMS ARE HERE!" Watching her classmates don their Scout cloaks made the situation all the more surreal. This was no longer a dream, it was a reality.


	23. Nightmares are Dreams Too: Two to See You

_**"Before I was born, she was just a woman…that life is over now…now she is my mother"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

 

_There is no noise. Edith can see his lips moving as he talks, she can see her mother flailing against her restraints on the small bed as she screams. But there is no noise, not to her. She is numb. She watched through the cracked door as the old man doused her mother in cupfuls of water at a time, reading from a small worn book as he did so._

_Fear clung to the young girl. Not for herself, though she is scared of the tall priest, but for her mother who struggled against her bindings once again. Edith watched the blood drip down her mother's raw wrists and onto the dirty sheets beneath her. The priest shouts over her mother again, shaking a small rosary made of colourful glass beads and three coins with the portraits of Maria, Sina & Rose on them._

_He cut a foreboding silhouette, that man. Tall and dark, rimmed in gold. He reminded her of the homunculi from her mother's stories. They gave her nightmares too. His ashen expression turned to one of satisfaction as her mother's struggles stopped and the woman grew still._

_Edith gripped tight to the door frame as her mother rolled her head towards the door and locked gazes with her. A tired smile made its way onto her face, lighting it up the way Edith liked. Above her mother, the priest held a dagger poised in the air, the blade glinted in the candlelight._

_The priest snapped his head towards Edith, there is nothing on his face now, he has no facial features just a blank mask. There are hands grabbing at her now, gripping tight and dragging her away from the door. She mustn't see. She has to see. Edith gripped tight to the door frame like her life depended on it._

_There is one noise that rips through the deafening silence. Cackling. It bounces around the room, surrounding her, drowning her. It comes not from her stone still mother or the blank-faced priest. There is no owner of the laugh or at least not one she can see, but it haunts her; she knows it will give her nightmares._

_The hands have wrapped themselves around her chest and head by now, her fingers are being pried from the doorframe. She won't be able to hold on much longer. Almost as if they were one, her mother and the priest speak, their voices in a layered tone that does not belong to either of them. "EDITH MARIE BROWN! FACE YOUR TRUTH!"_

_The dagger is swung downwards on her mother's still form and blood paints the walls. Darkness claws at her now, it surrounds her, she suffocates in it. Someone, somewhere screams, loud and clear, the sound rattles the windowpanes and it shakes the door. It is loud and heartbreaking. It is her. The cackling laughter grows to a crescendo, drowning her out. She is swallowed by blackness._

**Spring 850**  
**Women's Barracks, Old Scout Headquarters**

Edith shot up out of bed with sweat making her night shirt cling to the skin. She peeled the soaked shirt off of her heaving chest with a groan as she tried to calm down. It had been a few years since she had had a nightmare that bad.

Despite desperately trying to cling to the last few dregs of sleep, she couldn't for the life of her remember what the hell she had been dreaming about. All she knew was that she felt off, like something bad was going to happen. Above her someone groaned as they turned over in their sleep.

* * *

Edith let the water run over her hair and drip gently down the shower drain as she stood under the cold spray. After the particularly unwelcome wake-up call that morning, she had taken advantage of the early morning to wash the sweat off.  _What had I dreamt of? Why was I so scared?_

Shaking herself from thoughts of bad dreams, Edith then lamented on the strange layout of the showers in the Old Scout HQ as she washed the shampoo from her hair. Unlike the showers at the Trost HQ, these showers ran the middle of the room with a waist high structure separating the individual showers from one another with stall doors at the back.

The showers were far enough away from the bathroom's walls that a few benches ran along the only dry patches in the room. There was just enough room for everyone to put their possessions down while they showered. The layout reminded her of the stables, especially with the mouldy jaundice ceiling and cracked tiles.  _Oh what I wouldn't give for the Trost showers._

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Mess Hall, Old Scout Headquarters**

The castle's occupants were starting to meander down to the mess hall for breakfast by the time she had gotten out of the shower with very pruny fingers. On the menu that day was porridge, fruit and a roll of bread. Again. Oh well, it's not like she was going to complain, she got double portions as a soldier anyway.

"…What are we doing today?" Sasha asked bringing Edith out of her thoughts. She folded up the letter and tucked it under her plate as she continued to eat breakfast.

"I think we're supposed to be meeting our squads for the expedition today, why?" Connie replied around a mouthful of porridge.

"Just wondering"

"Hey Ed" greeted Ryan Hill (a fellow rookie medic) as he sat down across from her, setting his bowl and cup down on the table. Ryan wore his strawberry blonde hair in a cropped mop that reminded her of Levi's style without the shaven sides and despite his best efforts, even at 20 years old he only ever had a scruffy peach fuzz beard that enveloped his mouth and chin. Something that Edith greatly enjoyed looking at. He was rather short for his age coming in at 5'5" and yet he still towered over her measly 5'2".

The had met, like all good stories do, when he had tried to kiss her and she had broken his nose.

"Hi Ryan" nodded Edith.

"Flapjack?" he offered, waving the rectangular bar in front of her. There was another already sitting in his bowl.

"Yes! But where did you get them?" Edith lit up, snatching the fruity bar from his hand. They had all gone by the time she had gotten her breakfast; first come, first served after all.

"Swapped Piper and apple for it"

"S'good!" she munched happily.

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Old Scout Headquarters Courtyard**

Most of the day had been a blur of hits, kicks and tricks. The young recruits had gone to meet their respective squads for the coming expedition and were introduced to some of the other lesser known Scouts. As the only field medic on the squad she hadn't really known anyone, sure she had recognised some faces from around the place, but none she could put a name to.

After all the introductions had been done, Captain Rose Willis had gone on to explain where they would be situated within the formation and what their roles would be. Rose would lead the charge with Klaud Berg and Gillian Miles running messages up to other squads in the formation, which left the two vets Gordon Cunnings and Richard Thompson, to run interference on any Titans that came too close.

They would act as the first barrier between the Titans and their small group. That left Edith on the innermost side of the squad, the member closest to the rest of the formation and the safest point on the right wing of the formation. It was only due to Edith's previous experience with Wall Maria in 846, that she had been chosen to be a part of this squad located on the right wing. It was only because of this fact that she had been chosen over one of the other more experienced medics, many of whom had never been beyond Trost and she was shitting herself because of it.

A grunt and thump shook Edith out of her thoughts, bringing her back to the situation at hand as she took another sip from the water skin in her hands. After the expedition explanation, the group had moved on to seeing how each other worked together on the ODM gear and then finally ended the afternoon with some light sparring. Well, she said light, but the hammering that Klaud was receiving from Gordon was anything but. Klaud would have bruises tomorrow for sure.

Edith had gone earlier against Gillian and had done rather well, she thought. Despite being a rather wiry man, he was also rather tall and Edith had used his towering height to her advantage, zipping in and out of reach trading hits with him as she did so. She had lost in the end, but she'd put up a good fight and her new arm had held up pretty well too.

Edith watched Gordon pin Klaud to the dusty ground where the younger man struggled, refusing to yield to the vet. Suddenly, the scene before her brought memories to mind; memories of a day she'd rather forget.

 **Winter 843**  
**Eight Mile, Shiganshina**

_**It was a day or too after her mother had passed, Edith was still pissed about her father calling in that priest to deal with her mother's 'demons' and then pissing off to God knows where. Why couldn't have just left sleeping dogs lie?** _

_**Edith currently sat amongst her siblings and a couple of neighbours at the table as they solemnly ate lunch. Freya had come home from her apprenticeship at the bakery and had brought the day's reject baked goods with her.** _

_**"Think we should write Dick?" Freya asked, breaking the silence.** _

_**"Do we even have his address?" Isaac replied taking a swig of coffee.** _

_**"Whose Dick?" Edith asked gnawing on a burnt iced bun.** _

_**"Our grandad" Isaac replied.** _

_**"We have a grandad named Dick?"** _

_**"We have an asshole named Dick, whose Marie's father" Freya corrected, using their mother's name. No one in the family ever really called their parents 'Ma' and 'Pa'. They hadn't earned the right.** _

_**"Where's he live?"** _

_**"Orvud?" questioned Philip** _

_**"Trost" Freya responded.** _

_**"When's the last time ya saw 'em?" their surrogate grandfather , Ole Winkles asked round a mouthful of pastry.** _

_**"Like, never"** _

_**"Well, it's not like he ever wanted anything to do with us" Philip added. "What's that?" Philip nodded to the files in Freya's hand.** _

_**"Clinic bills" she muttered flicking through them.** _

_**"They charge you for dying now?" asked George Nells incredulously, their junkie 'uncle' from two doors down.** _

_**"Woah, think any of this is real?" Edith asked as she dumped out and shifted through the belongings Marie had on her when she died, tossing the bag over her shoulder.** _

_**"Anything worth more than a couple of cents, she would've pawned years ago" replied Freya shifting through the dirty clothes and rusted jewellery.** _

_**"Is that all Marie's stuff?" George asked.** _

_**"Yeah"** _

_**"Sina" It was kind of sad how little there really was. After being dismissed from the military because of her declining mental health, it was still kind of sad to see that all her belongings could fit into a small pack. There was everything from dirty clothes to open tampons to rusty coins. Not to mention drugs galore.** _

_**It didn't take long for Uncle George to pocket a couple of bags of drugs (after testing them of course) much to Edith's disgust, who knows how long they had been in there?** _

_**"What's this?" Freya muttered as she wrenched open a small ornate box. Inside lay only a single rusted key with a faded tag tied to it.** _

_**"What's the tag say?" Caleb asked when he noticed Freya's fascination with the item in her hand.** _

_**"49 and…Grey scene? And 32 5 or maybe its a 6? 7623"** _

_**"Marie had a flat?" questioned Philip.** _

_**"Not a chance, it was probably some dump she was evicted from years ago" replied Freya as she dropped the key back into the little box and slammed the lid.** _

_**"Hey, is anyone up to going with me to the mortuary later and figure our what to do with Marie?" Caleb asked.** _

_**"What? We can't just leave her there?" joked Philip referring to what their father, Arthur, had done with his own mother-their grandmother.** _

_**"Ah, I've called in sick the last couple of days, I gotta work" replied Isaac.** _

_**"Uh, I've gotta run a couple of errands this morning and then I got my shift over at Noel's" added Philip.** _

_**"I'll go" replied Edith.** _

_**"Really?" asked Caleb.** _

_**"Yeah, sure"** _

_**"I can come" added Ole Winkles, "With the Nordic gone, I got nothin' but time"** _

_**"What happened to the Nordic?" Caleb asked.** _

_**"Viktor stole it from them" replied Freya.** _

_**"How do you steal a pub?"** _

_**"Russian, KGB sneaky bastard style. I'm working at Down Under now" said George.** _

_**"You are?"** _

_**"I'm making great cash, bourgeois ladies love what they can't have. I'd get even more cash if I was allowed to give the old guys hand-jobs"** _

_**"Not gonna happen" replied Ole Winkles, sounding like he's already had this conversation with George before.** _

_**"It's just hand-to-hand, right?" commented Philip.** _

_**"That's what I said!"** _

_**"Uh, I don't know. I prefer the hands stroking my junk to be soft, petite and wearing nail polish" interjected Isaac.** _

_**"There's plenty of that over at Down Under"** _

_**"I gotta go to Jenny's this morning. So, uh, early afternoon for the mortuary?" Caleb asked Ole Winkles and Edith.** _

_**"Absolutely"** _

_**"See ya then"** _

* * *

_**It turned out the key that Freya had found in that little ornate box was the key the cellar under the ruins of Jordi's, a pub that sat on the end of Eight Mile and had burned down years ago, long before Edith was born. No had moved to rebuild there on account of the reported 'hauntings'. As it turned out, those 'hauntings' were from Marie who had been living (accompanied by the looks of it) in the cellar that still remained intact.** _

_**Shifting through all the things in the dark room, Edith found anything and everything. There was rolls of toilet paper, racks of dirt and clean clothes, a suitcase full of old greeting cards and so much more.** _

_**Their father, Arthur, had been somewhat sober as he had hunted through her things that morning, clearly in search for something in particular. It wasn't until he swore, catching Edith and Daisy's attention that he revealed what he had been looking for.** _

_**"Shit" he cursed coming across a large red tool box tucked away behind a stack of alchemy books. It was one of the only new things in the room.** _

_**"What?" asked Daisy as she turned from looking through the rack of cleaner clothes. Arthur came out into the middle of the room, holding the toolbox like a treasure chest. Once there, he opened the lid to reveal what was inside.** _

_**"Kids, I give you, your inheritance" Inside there were bags upon bags of white powder that was definitely worth a fair amount of cash. Meth.** _

* * *

_**The parlour at the mortuary was not something that Edith was used to. It was all clean white spaces with floral prints and embroidered cushions. She kinda missed the jaundice coloured walls and piss-soaked couch of home, at least there she didn't feel out of place.** _

_**After searching the cellar with her father and younger sister that morning, and the bombshell that they had discovered…Well, Edith had hoped that this trip to the mortuary would be nice and calm. But now that she was here…it wasn't like she was going to say much anyway.** _

_**"Have you had a chance to consider what sort of arrangement you'd like to make for loved one?" Jenny, the saleswoman asked pouring Caleb a cup of tea.** _

_**"Yeah, how do we get her into the ground as soon as possible?" Caleb asked taking a sip of tea.** _

_**"Ah, are you Jewish?"** _

_**"No"** _

_**"Muslim?"** _

_**"No"** _

_**"Catholic?"** _

_**"…Not recently"** _

_**"Well, we offer memorial packages for families for all faiths"** _

_**"Unless you offer a package for a narcissistic heathens. Let's focus on fast and cheap" Edith had to hide her smile in her cup as she looked at the woman's expression. Ole Winkles had no such qualms.** _

_**"This is our most popular and affordable package" said Jenny, handing Caleb a pamphlet to read over, "The Dearly Beloved. It's all inclusive: preparation of the body, classic series casket, viewing gravesite preparation, burial and a lovely engraving in granite headstone"** _

_**"How much?"** _

_**"$7,600"** _

_**"…What else ya got?" Caleb asked handing back the pamphlet while Ole Winkles tried not to choke on his tea.** _

_**"The Everlasting Love: preparation of the body, no viewing, wooden casket, engraved granite plaque, gravesite preparation and burial"** _

_**"How much?"** _

_**"$4,500"** _

_**"Cheaper"** _

_**"…The Eternal Peace: preparation of the body, cremation and a decorative urn for your loved one's ashes"** _

_**"And?"** _

_**"$2,300"** _

_**"What can you give me for $500 or less?"** _

_**"A cardboard box, a gallon of gasoline and our yard out back"** _

_**"…I'll take that one" joked Caleb.** _

_**"No love lost, huh?" commented Jenny, setting aside the rejected pamphlets.** _

_**"It was an eventful childhood" Caleb sighed before leaning forward, "Okay, Jenny. Jenny? No bullshit?"** _

_**"Mm"** _

_**"What's the cheapest way I can this woman into the ground?"** _

_**"…No embalming, we keep her on ice until we can cremate her and give back her ashes in what's essentially an old coffee can. $750" sighed Jenny, handing Caleb a piece of paper. Caleb smiled.** _

* * *

_**Sitting once more at the table, Edith reminisced over the days events. First, she had shifted through her mother's belongings, then she had found out her inheritance was $70,000 worth of Meth and finally their grandfather Dick had turned up and tried to beat the ever living hell out of Arthur; who was now sporting a black eye and a bleeding nose. Granted they had just stood by and watched as the grandfather they had never met, beat the crap out of their father and then left.** _

_**Arthur had barely waited until Dick was out of the house before he wobbled upstairs to find the Meth he had hastily hidden up there upon Dick's unannounced arrival. "Where you going?" Freya asked, receiving no reply in return.** _

_**"Fuck. No, Arthur!" called Edith as she bolted up the stairs after her father, her siblings right on her heels.** _

_**"Arthur!" Freya warned.** _

_**"God dammit, Arthur" said Edith as she watched her father rifled through Lewis' bedroom, tipping things over as he went.** _

_**"Where is it?" he asked still searching.** _

_**"We gotta destroy it, Arthur" stated Freya.** _

_**"Where the fuck is it?"** _

_**"I hid it" replied Edith.** _

_**"Where?"** _

_**"You're lucky that was only Grandpa Dick. What if it had been the cops?" Freya continued.** _

_**"Stop Arthur!" Edith added.** _

_**"Give it back!" he pleaded.** _

_**"You tried to hide it in Lewis' bed"** _

_**"GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN METH!"** _

_**"OR WHAT?" Edith venomously spat only for Arthur to grab her in a choke hold. Several things happened at once, Freya tried to pry his hands off of Edith at the same time that Isaac pulled Edith out of Arthur's grip and shoved her to the side, out of harm's way.** _

_**Arthur then turned on Freya, pulling at her hair who screamed at him. Isaac and Philipp eventually got Arthur pinned against the wall, the two brother's holding him fast as he struggled against their grip. When things seemed to calm down, Edith stood in front of her father with rage in her eyes and slapped him hard across the face, much to the surprise of her brothers.** _

_**Isaac and Philip eventually let Arthur go, the family watched as he scurried out the door and into the snow. After a moment of hesitation Freya followed after him, out into the cold. Edith and her siblings stood on the back porch and listened to Freya really dig into Arthur for the first time.** _

_**"What the fuck was that?" she demanded coming to stand in front of Arthur.** _

_**"It's not yours, Freya" he replied swinging around to face her.** _

_**"What the fuck is wrong with you?"** _

_**"It's your mother. She was worried about you, all of you. She wanted to leave you something"** _

_**"Meth?"** _

_**"That was all she had"** _

_**"Oh Rose!"** _

_**"You don't know anything about your mother!"** _

_**"She was never here!"** _

_**"She was a beautiful, crazy, fragile, wonderful woman!"** _

_**"She deserted us!"** _

_**"She loved us!"** _

_**"That was love?"** _

_**"Yes! Yes! It is!"** _

_**"Okay, then why did she leave?"** _

_**"You don't know what you're talking about!"** _

_**"If she loved us so much, why wasn't she here?"** _

_**"She tried! She always-"** _

_**"SHE WASN'T HERE! SHE WAS NEVER FUCKING HERE! SHE LEFT! I WAS NINE! Nine and taking care of you, taking care of all of us. I was in fifth year dragging your drunk ass inside from the yard so you wouldn't freeze to death. Staying up all night with Isaac when he had chicken pox, I washed Daisy's shitty nappies, I picked lice out of Lewis' hair and I was here when Edith got her first period, not Marie! Me! And never you, you were too fucking loaded!"** _

_**"Stop" Arthur begged as he sat down with tears gathering in his eyes.** _

_**"She was a junkie and a drunk"** _

_**"Enough"** _

_**"She didn't love me" Freya squatted down so that she was eye level with Arthur, her own eyes rimmed-red with tears "She didn't love you. She didn't give a shit about anyone but herself"** _

_**"Please…"** _

_**"…I'm glad she's dead, at least now she can't fuck us over any more" Edith could only watch as her family fell apart.** _

* * *

**Spring 850  
** **Old Scout Headquarters Courtyard**

Edith jumped when she was shaken out of her memories by a hand on her shoulder. Blinking a couple of times, she realised that the she was the only one still out here, the others having gone back inside for dinner. Turning to look at the person attached to the hand, she saw that it was Piper dressed in the field medic scrubs. "Mm?"

"You're wanted in the infirmary. It's urgent"

"Okay" Edith let Piper help her up and followed her back towards the infirmary as the rain began to fall.


	24. Nightmares are Dreams Too: Two Becomes None

_**"Fate often deals us shit hands...it's just mean to be"-Edith M. Brown Diary 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Infirmary, Old Scout Headquarters**

Grunts and groans could be heard all the way down the hall, whoever was in there was in a serious amount of pain. "What's going on?" Edith asked as she exchanged her tan jacket for scrubs and watched as a young red head was laid gently on one of the beds. A frantic teenager stood next to her wringing his hands. He was barely more than a boy.

"Cadet Rosa Jordan has gone into labour. Her water's broken already" replied Piper.

"Cadet? Seriously?"

"Yeah"

"Shit"

"You're carrying on a family tradition, having your baby here. All of my siblings were born here and most of them survived. I'll even cut the cord!" commented the boy, trying to lighten the mood.

"This is your fault, James! This is your fucking fault!" spat Rosa as she was pushed back onto the bed when she arched her back up in pain.

"Right, you. Out" Edith pointed to James

"We don't have time to argue" added Hanji who unceremoniously shoved him out into the hallway.

"No shit. This baby is coming" replied Edith who peered between Rosa's propped up legs.

"Now?" asked Piper.

"She's crowning"

"Woah"

"Quick, who delivered Robert?" Piper asked slightly panicked, referring to the clinic delivery during bootcamp.

"Marley, she was high as a kite and he just slipped right out" replied Edith.

"Go...get Tom Witercomb, he's a nurse"

"No good, he's at Cook County"

"I thought he worked at Rush?"

"No, Cook County Department of Corrections. He shot his wife"

"You're a doctor, right?" Piper asked, turning on Hanji next.

"In biology! I've never delivered a damn baby!"

"I kinda remember what happened during Robert's birth if that helps?" Edith piped up.

"Good! That's good! What do we need?" asked Hanji.

"Uh, towels. Lots of towels"

"There's towels in the cupboard down the hall" said Piper.

"Good, go get them. And bring the kid in here, he's gonna help"

* * *

A few moments later, Piper had returned with an armful of towels that they had shoved under Rosa to catch all the fluids and James had been brought back inside and was now holding Rosa's hand. Well, it was more like Rosa was trying to break his hand-which he had the balls to complain about and was immediately shut down.

Piper had had to step outside once she had taken a glimpse of what was happening on Edith's end. Something about it just made her feel faint, she could take half-bitten bodies and headless corpses. But birth? Nah ah. No way, which left Hanji and as the only other medical person in the room with Edith.

"It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. I'm right here" comforted Hanji over Rosa's screams and grabbed onto her other hand.

"Okay Rosa? I need you to do three quick pants and one long blow, okay?" stated Edith mimicking what she wanted the young cadet to do.

"I'm gonna do it with you, okay?" added Hanji, trying to distract the young girl from the pain as they began to breathe like instructed.

"You're gonna start pushing now, okay?" encouraged Edith from between Rosa's legs, "Alright and...PUSH!" Outside, the storm raged on.

* * *

Edith stood next to the shabbily dug hole that would serve as their grave, the shovel she had used was stabbed in to the ground next to her, in front of the sheet-wrapped birth hadn't gone well, a multitude of things had happened and it just did not end well. And despite what the others thought, Edith held the blame. She was the one who took charge, she cut the cord, she delivered the babe. She should've noticed something was wrong, sooner.

With a sigh she then dragged the mother-Cadet Rosa-over next to the grave and pushed her in. Then she jumped down into the hole and gently rolled the still warm body over so that she was facing upwards. Once she was happy with how the body was placed, Edith heaved herself out of the hole and then moved to place the cold babe in his mother's arms.

Edith stared down at the two, her shirt was soaked in blood, rain and other fluids making it turn sheer and cling to her body. Thoughts of the past few hours poured over her as she stared down at the two. It had turned out that James, the father, hadn't particularly wanted the babe but had come to the delivery more out of a sense of duty than love.

It appeared that he feared the girl's father so much, that they hadn't even told him that his daughter was pregnant. Not only that, but James had yelled at her for quite some time about how she had killed his girl. He eventually had to be removed.

In the end, the babe had died because of the when he had been born. He had been premature, coming far too early. Late enough for Rosa to find out that she had a son, but still far too early. There had been far too much blood for Edith's liking, more than was probably natural. In turn, because Rosa was so small, the amount of blood lost during the delivery had killed her. She didn't even get to name her child.

Tears blurred Edith's vision, disappearing in the rain as she shakily poured the gasoline over the two bodies before her. Her hands shook as she placed the can of gasoline by her feet and drew a box of matches from the pocket on her pants. Edith had seen death before, she wasn't quite sure why this one affected her so much, maybe because it was a child?

She gripped tight to the small matchbox and wiped her eyes free of tears, not that she had much success. It took a few strikes for her to get the match to catch alight before she threw it down on the two bodies. Here in this moment, Edith liked to think she understood the fragility of life. How someone could be her one moment and gone the next, like her mother. Like Rosa, like the babe.

Unbeknownst to Edith, Ryan who had risen to get some water in the middle of the night, had noticed someone standing, unmoving in the rain. Curious, he had donned a spare cloak and boots with torch in hand before picking his way through the mud to the person who stood there. Edith barely even flinched when Ryan saddled up beside her.

"Wet wood doesn't burn" Edith stated in return to the questioning gaze Ryan had sent her way when he saw what she had been staring at for the last hour or so.

"You okay, Ed?" he asked quietly.

"I dunno"

"Let's go inside, okay?" Edith let Ryan pull her back inside and out of the rain and into the quiet mess hall. He lead her to one of the tables next to the fireplace where he placed the cloak around her shoulders and knelt down in front of the fireplace as he tried to relight the fire from dinner.

Soon enough the flames were dancing amongst the logs and Edith had unconsciously moved towards the flames, seeking their heat. Tears trickled down her face as she drifted off into thoughts of despair, the firelight illuminating her face in the dark hall. Ryan soon returned from the kitchen, a kettle was set on the table and a mug of tea was shoved into her face; she accepted it almost robotically.

"...Edith you couldn't have known-" Ryan began trying to comfort his friend.

"But I should've! I should've known! Otherwise what's the point?" Edith interrupted.

"So you learn from your mistakes-"

"Mistake? Mistake? Those were people, living breathing people and I killed them! I did everything like you're supposed to, I followed every rule to the letter and they died anyway" Edith cried, tears streaming down her face clutching to her untouched tea "What do you do, when your best just isn't enough?"

Ryan wasn't sure what to say to that, he hadn't been the one to just successfully deliver a baby, only to lose it and the mother moments later. So instead, he placed his mug on the table and moved around so that he was sat next to Edith. Detaching her hands from the mug, he pulled the shorter girl in for a hug, clutching tightly onto her as she cried.

Edith had never been one who was good with words or people, but in that moment, that hug spoke thousands. It spoke of friendship, or love, or hope and support. Ryan may not have known how much this meant to her, but she enjoyed it all the same. A watery smile made its way onto her face as she listened to what he was trying to say.

* * *

A few days later, once she had managed to pull herself together, Edith stood in front of the large stone wall that stood above the turreted wall of the Old Scout headquarters and carved two words into it. They were names. These two names joined the many others that littered the wall, finding a home amongst the fallen.

The remembered. She wiped away the dust that had collected in the grooves and ran a hand along the two new names. Rosa and Babe. At least here, they would be remembered by someone. At least now, she could find some peace.


	25. The 57th Scouting Expedition: Female Titan

_**"…When I said I wanted to know what made a Titan tick, this is not what I meant…I'm so glad I'm a stubborn ass"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**57th Scouting Regiment Expedition**   
**Karanese District**

**_"…In the year 850, humankind regained land from the Titans for the first time since their appearance a century earlier. The cost however was great. Only a select few of those who remained steadfast in their dreams soon joined the Scouts…One short month later, led by Erwin Smith, the Scout Regiment set out leaving behind the relative comfort and safety of Karanese District they sought to secure a path to Shiganshina. Here they believed the Titans secrets lay hidden"_ -Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert**

It had been a couple of weeks since the addition of the 104th recruits to the Scout Regiment, meaning weeks of theory and memorisation. Diagrams, maps, plans and signals were shoved down their throats on top of the combat and specialised ODM training with each of their squads. Even with all this knowledge crammed into her head Edith was still nervous about going outside.

The bells tolled signalling the start of the 57th expedition outside the Walls and set Edith's nerves on edge. This would be her first time outside the Walls since Maria and now that she was here mere seconds away from seeing the open killing fields again, she wasn't sure if she was ready. She had expressed her feelings to Ryan earlier who had replied that that was how Edith knew she was ready. She hoped he was right.

"TITANS IN THE VICINITY HAVE BEEN LURED AWAY. GATE OPENS IN 30 SECONDS!" came the cry from up the front.

"THIS IS IT, THE DAY HAS COME FOR HUMANITY TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP FORWARD! LET'S SHOW THOSE TITANS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE MADE OF! CHARGE!" cried Erwin as his horse reared before racing forward, leading the Scouts out the gate. "IT'S OFFICIALLY BEGUN! THE 57TH RECON MISSION! SCOUTS MOVE OUT!"

Edith clutched the reins in a white knuckled grip as they rode through the desolate ruins of the districts situated between Walls Rose and Maria. They had yet to see any Titans travelling down the main road, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"10 METRE CLOSING IN ON THE LEFT!" cried Hanji following Mike's cue towards the incoming Titan. Mere moments after she had finished speaking, two members from the support squad reacted, flying towards the Titan, ready to draw its fire away from the ranks and eventually kill it. "Oh I so wanna know what's going on that big belly! Oh well, better let the support squad do their job"

Edith could only watch as the soldier's blades cut too shallow, forcing his to duck the incoming fist. "Fuck! Too shallow!" he cursed.

"Just focus on defending the ranks!" cried his partner distracting the Titan who swatted at them like flies.

"Eyes front, Brown!" called Gordon from her right, "Their job is to handle it, yours is to keep moving!"

"FORWARD! RIDE FOR ALL YOUR WORTH!" Erwin's carried back through the ranks. Edith did as she was told, her thoughts turning briefly to the other day when her squad had met up and discussed their positions within the formation.

_**"We'll only have their backs while we're inside the ruined cities" Rose explained unfurling a yellowed diagram of Erwin's famed scouting formation and pointing out their positions within the formation to the group gathered.** _

_**"Everything else beyond that, will be uninterrupted Titan territory. We'll be more or less on our own with the only thing to fall back on is the Commander's long range scouting formation. Myself, Gordon and Richard, we'll be stationed here where we'll run interference" she gestured to the outer most ring of the formation on the right wing.** _

_**"Klaud and Gillian, you'll be stationed here where you'll cover our asses and run messages to other squads if need be" Next she pointed to the inner row behind the vets in their squad, "And Edith, you'll be stationed here. The furthest from the fighting and close enough to drag our broken asses outta trouble" Finally she pointed to the inner most spot on the squad that was closest to the nearby squads.** _

"LONG RANGE FORMATION!" Erwin ordered once they reached the open fields beyond the Walls.

"See ya later. Good luck" said Reiner as he headed off towards his position.

"Do us a favour, if you see one of those fuckers don't piss yourself" added Jean as he left too.

"See ya guys later, don't die" farewelled Edith as she split off from the group, leaving behind her fellow recruits to follow after her squad headed for the right wing.

"Yeah, you too" replied Armin who continued moving forward.

**_"The long range scouting formation is a forward facing semi-circle. We'll be positioned relatively parallel to each other at equal intervals within signal fire on all sides. The idea is to extend our spotting and signal range as far as possible"_ -Scouting Formations, Erwin Smith**

Edith's heart pounded in her ears as she rode along the edge of the formation, her eyes peeled for any sign of trouble. Trouble she knew, would soon be approaching on earth rattling footsteps. Edith's head snapped towards the sound of a flare going off behind her. Off to the far right and back, a red signal flare painted the sky with others soon following it.

Up ahead Rose cursed at the flare but continued moving forward. Shakily, Edith turned back around in her seat, her thoughts turned to her lectures about Erwin's scouting formation, something she gladly welcomed to ward off the ever growing fear.

_**"…You can bet the lucky bastards riding on the outer most edges will see a lot of Titans" explained Ness, using a ruler to point out a spotter's squad on the large diagram that hung over the blackboard.** _

_**"The second one comes into view, lock and load. Alert your nearest comrades with a red smoke signal, they in turn, will alert their nearest comrades in the same fashion and so on. Once the Commander feels he has a decent lead on the Titan's position, he'll be firing off a green smoke signal.** _

_**At the sight of one, the platoon is to reroute accordingly. The fewer Titans encountered en route to our goal, the better. We'll need all the able bodies we can spare, the aim of the game then is evasion. Now keep in mind, this isn't a full proof strategy. The terrain is wild with plenty of places for the enemy to lay in ambush.** _

_**Keep in mind too, this whole approach assumes we'll be dealing largely with Normals, a Titan whose behaviour is predictable. If it's an Abnormal, you fire off a black smoke flare immediately"** _

Edith was snapped out her reverie by thundering footsteps that shook the ground with each step they took. "TITANS COMING UP THE REAR!" called Gordon who was joined by Richard as they turned to confront the approaching beasts. Against her better judgement, Edith glanced over her shoulder to see what was going and cursed aloud at what she saw.

Instead of the typical four or five metre Titans that attacked either by themselves or in pairs, there was a whole horde of Titans ranging anywhere from four metres to 12 metres. But the thing that nearly made her piss her pants? It was the 15 metre blonde female Titan who was sprinting up the middle of the group, carving her way through the soldiers, completely ignorant (or just uncaring) of the harm she caused.

They barely had time to shout before the Titans were on them. Edith tried her hardest to outrun the Abnormal which had set its sights on her, going so far as to lean flush against Tui's back to reduce the amount of drag she made. It only got her so far before she had to disembark from the mare, leaping upwards and shooting her hooks into the forearm of the Titan and looping her wires around the arm as she let her swing taker her over the outstretched left arm.

A quick glance around her showed her that her teammates had killed a couple of Titans already, but were struggling against the numerous other Titans that swarmed them. It wasn't looking good, Edith knew that even as experienced as they were all it took was one slip up for it all to end. And one with one slip up it did. The Abnormal that Edith was attached to noticed her brief lapse in concentration and took advantage, swiping its free hand down and grabbing her tight around the middle.

She was lifted up to the Abnormal's face where it studied her for a moment. Why, she wasn't sure but it allowed for her ODM gear to disengage from her struggling body and tumble to the floor. Whatever it was the Titan seemed to be looking for, it seemed to find it as it gave her a wide toothy grin. Edith barely had time to gag at the smell of decay emanating from the beast's open gummy-smiling mouth before she was unceremoniously chucked down its throat.

* * *

It was wet and warm inside this dark place, her only source of light was from the small jagged gaps at the front of the cave. The floor was hot to the touch, she could already smell her boots burning and the texture of the floor was strange, it appeared bumpy & squishy beneath her feet. It took her several tries to lever herself up right without falling flat on her face once more. Edith gagged at the smell, the scent of death was worse in here where it enveloped her every sense. She knew where she was but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Without her blades, Edith knew she no way of successfully getting herself out unharmed. Taking a gamble, she felt her way around the Titan's mouth, her hands digging into the gums at the back of the jaw and on the verge of the throat. Once here, she waited until the Titan opened it mouth once again, this time letting out a loud belch that would have knocked her over had she not been holding on so tight.

Digging in her heels, she prepared to launch herself across the mouth aiming for the uvula that hung at the back of the throat like a giant boxing bag. There! There was just enough light for her to see the fleshy appendage. Launching herself forward like an olympic sprinter she grabbed onto the uvula and wrapped herself around it like a koala.

"This is not going to be big on dignity" she muttered to herself as she begun to tug and swing on the appendage. At the last moment when Titan bile rose up the throat, she regretted not pulling her goggles on as she was spat out on to the ground amongst the corpses of her comrades.


	26. The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission: Titan Forest

_**"Fear really shows us who we are. It can drive you forward or hold you back…It shows us the type of people we truly are"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**57th Scouting Regiment Expedition**   
**Beyond Wall Rose**

Riding through Titan territory solo and covered from head to toe in Titan vomit was not how Edith had wanted to spend her day. Thankfully she had recovered her ODM gear relatively unharmed and using some basic alchemy had seen to the dented canisters.

She had found her mare not too soon after, trying to remount her though had been a task in of itself, not that she blamed the mare. It was understandable really, seeing how she reeked to high heaven, despite trying to clean herself up as much as possible.

Once she had regained her mount, Edith sent a red signal flare up into the sky and continued moving forward, hoping to find another squad sooner rather than later. Her toes curled against the cold stirrups at the thought; she had had to discard her boots as they were tattered and burnt to hell. There was no saving them, so she had dumped them and had peeled off her wet and stinky woollen socks, stuffing them in a jacket pocket.

Checking herself over, she found that she hadn't gained too many injuries, most of them being minor ones that she didn't bother to use alkahestry on. Some damp bandages saw to her burnt feet (after the odd bits of leather had been pulled out of her soles, of course) and another dry bandage was wrapped around her left ankle in hopes to help ease the sprain somewhat.

She had been lucky that a sprained ankle was her biggest problem from that bumpy landing. Sure she had a bit of a limp, but that was nothing in the grand scheme of things. As well as this, several scrapes and bruises littered her body, but otherwise she was relatively okay.

She tried not to think about what happened to her squad as she rode passed, turning her head when she locked gazes with Giliian. She hoped to find another squad soon, one that was alive and well. Thankfully, she didn't have to look for long.

A familiar series of sharp whistles caught her attention off to the left, where it seemed someone was trying to recall their horse. Making her way over as fast as she could, Edith soon came across the source of the whistling. It was a couple of her classmates.

Having come in too fast, Edith ended up clutching tight to the reins as Tui reared up at the sudden stop. "Woah! Watch it!" Ryan called hoarsely as the mare's front legs came in contact with the ground no too far from where he was standing.

"Sorry" apologised Edith as she came up on Krista's right side. In front of her Ryan and Jean were tending to their horses while Armin and Reiner were already atop their own mounts. Edith focused in on Ryan, her eyes taking in minute details in the way only a medic could.

His eyes were rimmed red like he had been crying and the hoarse voice backed that theory up, he clutched to his reins in a vice like grip and his shoulders were tense as if he were expecting something bad to happen any second. Things must've gone to shit on his side too.

"Ugh! What happened to you?" Reiner asked covering his nose at the smell as he took in Edith's appearance.

"Weren't you on the right wing, Edith? What happened out there?" Ryan piped up, concerned.

"I don't wanna talk about it" Edith replied spitting out some Titan bile that still clung to her face as she filed away Ryan's appearance for a later date,"Are you guys okay?"

"Better off than you, apparently" snorted Reiner. Edith childishly stuck her tongue out at him, wincing at the taste that entered her mouth as she did so. Ryan cracked a small grin at his friend's expression.

"Oh no! Armin, your head! You've been hurt!" Krista cried speaking up as she noticed the bandages.

"It's nothing, I promise" replied Armin.

"I'm impressed someone responded to our distressed signal" commented Jean.

"Well, I wasn't very far away so…that and I found the horse" Krista blushed.

"A lot of people wouldn't have risked the trek over here. You're as noble as the steeds you tame. We're in your debt" Reiner complimented.

"It was nothing, I'm just…I'm just glad you're all okay. What would we do without you?" Krista wiped away the tears from her eyes much to the adoration of the boys who were ogling her.

 _So sweet!_ cooed Ryan.

 _She's an angel!_  thought Armin.

 _A Goddess!_  Jean gaped.

 _One day my wife!_  Reiner thought. Edith just rolled her eyes at the boy's reactions that were so clearly painted on their faces.

"Are you sure you're okay, Edith?" Krista asked, turning to the girl in question.

"I'm fine, promise. I mean I'd love a bath, but otherwise I'm fine" smiled Edith all too aware of her appearance.

"Ugh" snorted Ryan rolling his eyes.

"What?"

"Baths, they're so gross. You just sit there stewing in your own juices"

"What are you talking about? You've had baths before and as I recall, you've definitely enjoyed them"

"Eddie, I didn't enjoy the baths so much as I enjoyed the wet, naked lady" Edith rolled her eyes in response, the lovey dove atmosphere broken up by quiet spluttering from the younger boys.

"Okay. I suppose we should rejoin the formation now" Krista suggested embarrassed at the innuendo.

"Yeah, they'll order a retreat any minute now" replied Jean confidently "I'll just say it, I'm glad we survived but going back after only an hour? Not really something to be proud of, if you ask me. And while we're on the subject is anyone else curious as to why she'd headed away from the command squad?"

"She?" Krista asked her question going ignored.

"Wait, you're saying she came through this way?" Edith interjected.

"Yeah, why?" Armin replied.

"Shit" Edith cursed under her breathe, her thoughts going to the 15 metre that had destroyed the right wing like it was nothing.

"What?"

"Nothing, just thinking"

Suddenly a series of green signal flares light up off to the left, taking the group off guard. "Green smoke?" Jean questioned.

"It looks like we're not turning back after all. Just changing course" Armin observed.

"Yeah, but that doesn't make sense!" Krista cried.

"What the hell is the Commander even thinking?" Ryan added his two cents.

"Every one of us has the authority to declare the mission failed. Why isn't anyone speaking up? Is the command squad too far ahead to see the signals?" Reiner mused.

"Possibly, but either way I think our course is clear. Assume command's got this" said Armin firing a green flare into the sky and passing on the message.

"Right, anyway, you sure you guys are okay?" Edith asked the others.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Jean asked.

"I need to pass on a message"

* * *

After separating from her classmates, Edith made her way over to the nearest squad so that she could deliver her oral message. As it turned out, that squad was Levi's. She was just thankful that she wasn't bothered by any Titans across that vast stretch of land; it seemed the Titan vomit  _was_  good for something.

"Reporting sir!" Edith called as she pulled in alongside the squad next to Eren and ignored the way Levi's face scrunched up slightly at the smell of her "An oral message: the right wing spotters have been completely wiped early warning system is compromised, one of you will need to relay the message down the line!"

"You heard her, Petra. Go on." Levi ordered the ginger.

"Sir!" Petra called splitting off to find another squad further left.

"Brown, you're the only survivor of the right wing spotter's squad, correct?" Levi then turned to the younger girl.

"Yes, sir!"

"Explain"

"There was an Abnormal, sir. I didn't get a good look at it before I was swallowed, but it looked to be around 15 metres, it was female and it showed intent. Like Eren" Many of the members within the squad appeared startled at the reply.

"You said you were swallowed?"

"Yes sir, I grabbed onto the uvula and invoked the gag reflex, effectively ejecting myself from the Titan"

As if to back up her report, a series of black signal flares painted the sky. "Eren! Fire the signal!" Levi commanded.

"Yes sir!" Eren hurried to follow orders.  _So close, too close. Just under that smoke, someone's fighting._  Ere'n gaze locked onto Edith's form once more.  _Shit! She looks like hell! What the hell happened out there?_

"This is a disgrace. A lot of good the formation does if the bastard's can pour into it that deeply" Levi muttered under his breath.

"Were you seriously swallowed?" Eren whispered to Edith.

"Uh huh" Edith replied before spitting some more Titan bile over her shoulder.

"Uh, Edith? I think you have a tooth in your hair"

"…Yeah, I know"

* * *

When the group approached the Titan forest, Edith peeled off from Levi's squad and rejoined her classmates at the boundary line. "…You're kidding me? Are we on a sightseeing tour now or what? How much further do they want us to stray off course? This is ridiculous!" Jean complained after the group was told to skirt the edges of the forest.

"It's bizarre, but so be it. Commander Erwin must have something in mind. Perhaps the situation had compelled him to improvise?" Armin mused.

"That gives me a lot of confidence"

"Maybe he's looking for a nice shady spot to throw a celebratory picnic" Ryan joked sarcastically.

"Uh, I rather doubt that" replied Armin.

"Lighten up, the point is. I'm praying he doesn't intend for us to camp here. Not with that female Titan on our ass, we'll be sitting ducks he's gotta know that. Yeah, we're just passing through on our way to somewhere else. No one in their right mind would make stop here" Jean rambled.

"Y'know you probably just jinxed us right, Jean?" Edith drawled. As if on cue, an officer up ahead called for everyone to halt.

"Alright rookies, listen up! We're assuming intercept positions within the trees. Unsheathe and find a perch, if any Titans attempt to enter the forest stop them whatever it takes!" ordered one of the senior scouts.

"Uh, excuse me sir?" Jean piped up, "What exactly is it we're-"

"I've given you an order!" interrupted the Scout who launched himself up a tree to find himself a perch. The rookies soon followed with some quiet grumbling.

* * *

"Do you believe this bullshit?" Jean quietly complained, not wanting to be overheard by his superiors but still aware that the people around him could hear. They had been positioned in the trees for quite some time now, some of the Scouts going so far as to relax against their chosen branches.

Edith was one of these people; she sat straddling the branch with a leg either side so that she could let rest for a moment and let her burnt feet breathe. She also used this time to clean herself up better (or as much as she could), pulling stray teeth and other assorted pieces from her prosthetic & only interesting thing that had happened in the last hour or so was that a covered wagon had followed Squad Levi  _into_  the forest.

"Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the whole logistics base thing? Or why we didn't go galloping home after the first lot of Titans showed up. Why are we all suddenly playing treehouse?" Jean continued, "Oh wait, no. I know the last one. No Titans allowed in the centre command's nature retreat. That fool, he's got no idea what's going on"

"Sh, he'll hear you" hushed Armin.

"What do I care? He's not explaining anything to the ones risking their lives. Look at him, he acts all tough and in control but you can see that he's petrified"

"What do you mean?"

"They say when officers in the field are deemed incompetent by their men, they can be relieved of duty or in more serious cases they can die from mysterious stab wounds to the back. I suppose there's  _all_  kinds of accidents that can happen out here"

"Hold on, whatever you're thinking of doing…"

"Don't worry Armin, anyone can see he's just venting" Edith interjected quietly, "Though some of those questions are valid"

"Look Armin, just answer me this: you agree with this strategy or is it just a bunch of crap? Really? Cause you look like you know something I don't"

"FIVE METRE TITAN APPROACHING!" called the Scout in charge, interrupting the one-sided conversation. Up ahead, the Titan was practically skipping towards the forest with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Armin's eyes swept over his fellow rookies. Off to his left and behind, most of them stood tense at the approaching Titan, while others looked almost bloodthirsty in how they tracked the beast's movements.

Off the other right, the rest of the rookies congregated on their branches, many of them watching on in anticipation and fear. A few in particular caught his eye in the way they reacted, like Jean who stood just in front of him and was staring open-mouthed at the Titan headed this way. It was almost creepy watching the older boy switch from arrogantly confident to a frightened soldier at the flick of switch.

Another that caught his eyes was Edith who had risen into a crouch with her toes curled into the wood beneath her feet, she looked very much like a cat stalking its prey as she watched the beast approach with a white-knuckled grip on her blades.

He had noticed her injuries earlier, but had been unable to think of a way to bring them up without alerting the others. An injured medic, was a dead medic; that had been drilled into their heads since day one. It was also why everyone had to have knowledge in basic first aid.

Armin's eyes drifted back towards the Titan running towards the forest as he began to think over the day's events.  _Why did the Commander opt to bring us here? I can't make sense of it! What was he thinking?_  Armin stared down at his feet, his gaze narrowing as his academic brain kicked into gear.

_No, that's wrong. That's not the question I should be asking; if the Female Titan is in fact pursuing Eren, does Erwin know? Is that why we're here? Break it down to its simplest elements: if the Titan really is after Eren, then there's only one reason for our being here. Commander Erwin knows and he intends to confront her._

"Armin!" Jean called, breaking Armin from his thoughts, "Bare with me. Our orders are to keep Titans out, right? Right? So I mean, we don't actually have to fight them, yeah? Am I wrong?" There was something in the way that Jean asked that made Armin looked down the trunk of his tree. What he saw turn made his blood run cold.

Instead of the one Abnormal that had been approaching them before, there was now a small horde of Titans scrabbling at the tree trunks trying to reach the prey that was safely tucked away in the canopies.

* * *

Eren was at war with himself over whether or not he should bring up more of his questions to the Captain as they rode through the Titan Forest. His earlier questions had been shut down pretty quickly by the short captain, the tone he had used signifying to Eren that maybe he shouldn't push any further. But Eren was a curious person by nature, it was in his blood and coupled with his stubborn hard-headedness…well, it was usually a cocktail for trouble.

Thankfully some of Levi's bite had been taken down a notch as he told to calm down, keep a level head and actually use his head. It was clear Levi trusted Erwin's judgement, even if he wasn't quite sure of what was totally going on.  _Use his head? Ugh! Come on! Who did he think he was? Does Captain Levi not know me at all?_  Eren thought as he mulled over the captain's words.

_I'm not that smart, that's Armin's division. I always prefer using my fists…But I suppose he's right, I'm new to this which means virtually everything about this is going to throw me for a loop. Civil answers are for children, the only way to learn is by doing. If I wanna cut it with these guys, I've gotta stop crying to be spoon-fed!_

Eren's gaze drifted to the other members of the squad as he searched for something to comfort him, anything at all. That was not what he found. Instead they seemed to be in the same boat as him. "…Doesn't make sense! What are we doing here? There's gotta be a reason! I mean they know…right? They gotta!" Oluo muttered under his breath.

Eren's head then snapped towards a wide-eyed Petra, then Eld who was sweating bullets and finally a tensed Levi.  _Huh? Wait! Are we all in the dark here?! What the hell is going on? Does that mean even Captain Levi's clueless?_

"Black smoke, behind us!" Eld called noticing the flare through the gap in the canopy, "Damn thing's been on our ass since we came in here!"  
"Blades drawn now!" Levi ordered unsheathing his own, "It'll happen in the blink of an eye, be ready!" Eren could only watch through wide eyes and his blood pounding gin his ears as a Scout from the support squad was swatted from the air like a fly.

The Female Titan pounded down the path, intent on reaching her target and nothing would stand in her way. Not even the Scouts. "Go! Move it!" Levi shouted leaning down further over his horse. The Female Titan ran up alongside the squad, barely missing them as she brought her foot down in an attempt to squash them. Eren couldn't help the startled gasps and quiet cries that fell from his mouth at the sight of her.

"Holy shit! How the fuck are supposed to pull evasive manoeuvres in here?!" Gunter demanded staring back at the Female Titan who was gaining on them.

"It's catching up!" Eld called towards the front.

"Captain! Do we engage the ODM gear? Captain!" Petra demanded as a pair of the support squad flew in to help deal with the situation. It was no use, the Female Titan wasted no time in squashing the two Scouts into pulp after yanking them from the sky.

"Where are reinforcements?" Petra cried after receiving no reply from the Captain to any of her questions "CAPTAIN! YOUR ORDERS?!"

"IT'S DANGEROUS! LET'S TAKE IT OUT! TELL US TO ENGAGE SIR!" Oluo suggested exuding fear.

"I'll cut the bitch!" Eld spat venomously as he drew a blade from its sheath.

 _Stupid creature!_  Eren thought  _You're racing full speed to your own death! You're chasing the best damn team of Titan slaying soldiers in existence!_  "Huh, Captain?" Eren questioned when he didn't hear an order from Levi.

"CAPTAIN!" Petra wailed.

"We need your orders, sir!" cried Oluo.

"She's gaining on us! Let's just take her out!" added Gunter.

"That's the whole reason we're here isn't it? Right, sir?" questioned Eld.

"Captain! What are your orders, sir?! Please!" cried Eren. The whole squad could practically feel the Female Titan breathing down their necks.

"Everyone, cover your ears. Now" Levi ordered sitting up in the saddle as he pulled a signal flare from his pack and fired it up into the air.


	27. The 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition: Bite

_**"…If at first you don't succeed, try, try again…And again, then rethink it and try again"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition**

The squad (minus Levi) clutched to their ears in pain, the sound of flare ringing in their ears. The sound of the flare was clearly meant to disorientate the Titan gaining on them, and it did somewhat. But it definitely hurt the squad more.

"Was that an acoustic round?" Eren questioned with his hands still over his ears.

"Remind me, what is our mission? Is it to act on impulsion in the heat of the moment?" Levi asked looking over his shoulder, "Let me answer that question for you, it's not. This squad's mission is to keep the brat alive. Whatever the costs, don't forget it"

The other members of the squad grit their teeth in varying angers of determination, shame and anger at the scolding they had received from the captain.  _What? It's not just to police me?_  Eren thought in surprise over the revelation.

"We keep pushing forward on  _horseback_ , is that clear?" Levi continued.

"As a bell, sir!" Petra chirped back instantly.

"But for how long? We can't keep running forever! She's right on top of us as it is, if we don't do something soon…" interjected Eren. He watched over his shoulder in dismay as more members of the supports squads (probably from the left wing) tried to deal with the Female Titan, only to end up dying horrifically. It was like she saw them as insects to be swatted.

"EYES FRONT! STOP LOOKING BEHIND US!" Gunther called forward.

"Seriously?!" Eren cried.

"Keep pace with the group! Maintain top speed or we're all dead!" added Eld.

"Eld, please! If the Levi squad can't stop this thing, then who can? They need us! Damn it! He didn't have to die!

"DO AS YOUR TOLD, EREN! EYES FORWARD!" Petra cut in over his distressed cries. "STOP WHINING AND DO AS YOUR CAPTAIN TELLS YOU!"

"Why are letting people die?! If this part of some bigger picture, why can't someone explain it to me?!"

"ASK NOT THE REASON WHY, ASK IF YOU'D DO OR DIE! YOU'D KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A USELESS GREENHORN! NOW STIFLE IT! BEHAVE LIKE A SOLDIER!" shouted Oluo.

 _No, I can do this without them!_  Eren thought sheathing his blade and raising his hand to bite down and transform, thinking back to his first transformation in Trost.  _I don't need to rely on anyone else, I'm a squad all to myself!_

"NO EREN! STOP!" Petra scolded as Eren merely held his free hand in his jaws, not yet biting down. "YOU'RE ONLY PERMITTED TO ASSUME TITAN FORM WHEN YOUR LIFE'S IN EXTREME PERIL, THAT WAS THE AGREEMENT! YOU SWORE AN OATH! EREN!"

"I wouldn't blame you, do as your conscious dictates. But Eren, listen, you are not inherently evil. Your ability to change doesn't make you a monster, that said it could be the other way around. How are you supposed to know where to draw the line? Whether you lose control or completely give up…maybe it's the same.

Look Eren, we don't agree because our experiences bring us to opposing views. That's life, at the end of the day there's no reason to against how you see it. The choice is yours, you trust yourself or you can trust the people willing to put their lives on the line for you. I don't know which way is better, I never have.

Should I act on my own instincts or put myself in the hands of my comrades and trust them? Either way there's no guarantee, in the end you choose what you choose; if afterwards your regrets are at a minimum, good for you " Levi piped up, his calm tone catching his attention easier than the others shouting at him. That small speech was all it took for Eren to drop the hand from his mouth and actually try to think it through.

**Spring 850**   
**Empty Lecture Hall, Old Scout HQ**

_**Levi had chosen to use this time slot just after the newest rookies had arrived, to educate the young boy. If he was going to be babysitting him, then at least the boy could learn something from it.** _

_**Eren stood in front of a blackboard in one of the lecture halls that lined this hallway of the Old Scout HQ. The other members of Squad Levi plus Hanji were gathered around, some leaning against the desks and others just slouched where they stood. Hanji had taken a seat on the lecturer's podium.** _

_**"Sir?" Eren questioned Levi who stood in front of him holding a piece of chalk.** _

_**"Your Titan form, we may have some middle ground after all. A failsafe, if you will" Levi replied drawing a wonky-shaped outline of a person plus a dotted oval that cut off the limbs on the board.** _

_**"The method I've come up with will only leave you mutilated. Well at least in theory, depends on individual skill. Essentially, we cut the entire nape from the body, with you inside. Your limbs will be severed halfway down in the process, but you'll survive As a matter of fact, they'll probably just grow back lizard-style, you creepy little bastard"** _

_**"Hold on a sec, I'm not really sure how they do it. I mean, I might, but…is it really worth the risk that they won't?" Eren worried.** _

_**"Oh, I see. You're only up for this if there's no risk involved whatsoever. Then be prepared, we're in the same boat. If you go on a rampage it could kill us, so we're even"** _

_**"Yes sir, seems perfectly fair to me"** _

_**"Just to be clear, I have the go ahead, right?" Hanji asked for reassurance with her hands clasped in front of her in a pensive position.** _

_**"We can't afford not to run any tests, so yes you're good. Just try to keep him from going rogue right out of the gate"** _

_**"Oh not to worry, I have a plan. Eren, I know you're still a mystery to yourself but we learn as we go. Knowledge is always worth the risk, I believe that"** _

* * *

_**Squad Levi plus Hanji were spread across a small barren stretch of farmland that they had found during one of their patrols. Under the guise of taking a break from the patrol, the group had stopped so that Hanji and Levi could run some tests on Eren and his Titan.** _

_**Coincidentally, Edith, Piper and Ryan were also in the same area collecting herbs. The medic rookies had been split into groups earlier that day to carry out the day's chores that needed to be done. As it was, their group was then divided into pairs or trios and given a section of land to cover, in an attempt to not pick an entire plot of land dry in one go.** _

_**"You ready down there, my dear?" Hanji called down, her voice bouncing against the damp walls of the empty brick well. Levi stood quietly next to her, staring down into the well where his subordinate stood at the bottom. "When we're good to begin, I'll fire off a smoke signal. What happens after that is entirely up to you"** _

_**"Ready when you are Captain!" Eren called raising an arm in the air.** _

_**"Hm. If the boy looses control, this well should hold him until he wears himself out. If not we'll go with Levi's method. Perfect" Hanji murmured under her breath, before firing a round of green smoke into the air.** _

_**Alright, it's been a while. Eren thought preparing to bite down on his hand, Not since Trost actually. I've gotta keep a hold on myself, the Levi Squad is well within their jurisdiction to kill me if I lose control. Eren bit down hard on his hand, drawing blood as varying thoughts and scenarios ran through his head.** _

* * *

_**"What do you think they're doing over there?" Piper asked the other two with her; looking over at the duo who stood next to the well.** _

_**"I dunno" replied Ryan uninterested.** _

_**"Well, it's gotta be something, right? I mean why else would the Special Ops squad be all the way out here?" Edith mused her voice slightly muffled by the neckerchief over her nose and mouth as glanced down from the buzzing hive near her head. Her hands gripped tight to the tree branches as she slowly climbed up the tree, unwillingly to use the ODM gear in case she startled the nervous creatures. She wanted honey, not stings.** _

_**"They're probably just taking a break from patrol, Eddie. You're thinking too much into it" said Ryan.** _

_**"No, Ed's right, it's gotta be something. Why else would they fire that green flare?" Piper reiterated.** _

_**"Who cares? Look can we just focus on getting the honey, instead of…whatever they're doing?" Ryan suggested tiredly.** _

_**"Fine" Piper sighed turning back to watch the shorter girl shimmy her way up the tree until she was parallel with the hive and raised her blade to the branch that it rested on.** _

_**"Ready?" Edith called down to the other two who in turn hurried to pull their neckerchiefs up over their noses and goggles down over their faces before making sure that all over articles of clothing were covering as much skin as possible. When they had done that, the duo took up perches in the lower branches of nearby trees before replying.** _

_**"Ready!" Piper called. Hearing the confirmation, Edith quickly began to saw away at the branch, knowing that the quicker she got this done, the quicker she could get away from these angry little beasts who were trying to desperately to protect their home.** _

_**It didn't take long for the hive to drop, the weight on the weakened branch becoming too much for it as it fell towards the cloth they had lain beneath them on the forest floor. As expected, the hive exploded upon impact and the bees within grew furious, buzzing around stinging anything and everything they came in contact with. When the insects eventually dispersed, the trio emerged from their perches to collect their prize.** _

* * *

_**"Well, I don't understand it, perhaps he missed the signal?" Hanji pondered as she and Levi awaited Eren's transformation a little ways away from the well, atop their mounts. Quite some time had passed once Hanji had set off the flare and moved away from the opening of the well. In fact, the sunset painted a beautiful backdrop in this landscape.** _

_**"Perhaps…or perhaps we're just naive to expect he can turn it turn it on and off" replied Levi trotting over to the well and dismounting to get a closer look, "Eren! Enough! We're done for the day!"** _

_**"Did something go wrong down there?" Hanji called leaning over the edge of the well to see what had happened, before jolting back at what she saw. Down below, Eren stood still human but covered in self-inflicted wounds. There were bite marks up and down his arms and blood ran from his mouth and wounds. It was clear the boy had no control over his ability to turn it on despite his attempts to do so.** _

* * *

_**"Are you telling me, those bite marks on your hands show no signs of healing?" Levi asked glancing over at Eren who sat hunched over with his hands in his lap whilst Edith did her best to bandage the self-inflicted wounds. It was kind of an odd angle to work at, despite sitting right next to him on the bench.** _

_**On the grass, near the two, Piper and Ryan sat chopping, sealing and wrapping up pieces of honeycomb to take back. Not that all of it made it into the bags, a fair amount of it was being 'taste-tested'.** _

_**"No sir" Eren whispered.** _

_**"No offence, but you're not much use to us in this form. If you can't change, our plans for Wall Maria go up in smoke" Levi drawled taking a sip from his tea cup.** _

_**"It could be a mental thing" Edith suggested.** _

_**"What do you mean?" Eren asked confused. Levi too, turned curious at the comment** _

_**"Uh, well, how do I explain this?" she mused, biting her lower lip in thought, "It's kinda like when you're afraid of something. Like, really properly scared"** _

_**"Like spiders!" Piper added cheerily, knowing her friend's aversion to the little creatures.** _

_**"Ugh! Those little creepy bastards are terrifying!"** _

_**"You're scared of spiders?" Eren laughed.** _

_**"Shut up! They're all spindly legs & beady eyes & quick movements and…ugh!" Edith shuddered, "Anyway, it's kinda like when you're scared of something and that fear is blocking you from doing something that logically you know you can do. In this case, your body knows it can heal exponentially but because you feel like you failed, your subconscious won't let you"** _

_**"Huh?"** _

_**"In its essence, you're not healing, not because you can't but because your mind won't let you"** _

_**"Oh"** _

_**There was a beat of silence as Edith finished wrapping Eren's wounds and moved to put her supplies away. "Pull yourself together, Jeager. And yes that's an order" commanded Levi breaking the silence before he wandered off.** _

_**"Yes sir" Eren muttered downcast at having failed yet again.** _

_**"Come on, don't lose heart kid. You'll get it" Eld soothed.** _

_**"Maybe, I don't know" Eren responded.** _

_**"Well, that's one way to learn you're more human than expected" Gunter commented.** _

_**"Look at it this way, it's a lot better to find out now than out in the field" replied Eld.** _

_**"He's right, there's no such thing as too careful when so much is riding on you" Gunther agreed staring down at the table.** _

_**"Back to the drawing board, then?" Edith commented as she stood up from her seat and swung her bag of supplies over her shoulder, before making her way over to her horse, dodging the two on the ground as she did so.** _

**How? How can they all be so damn calm?** _**Eren wondered, glancing at the people around him.** _ **Are they actually relieved I can't turn into a Titan? And what was the mental thing about? Do I really think I'm not worthy enough to heal because I failed?**

_**Eren's hand twinged in pain when he went to pick up his teaspoon, knocking it the grass next to the medics' feet. "Is everything okay?" Eld asked, glancing up at the hiss of pain from Eren.** _

_**"Yeah" Eren breathed before getting up to reach for the spoon. It all happened so quickly, one minute he had been reaching for the teaspoon on the ground, the next he was trying to pull his arm from the flesh it was enveloped in.** _

_**Edith let out a small yelp at the sudden appearance of bones obscuring her view amongst the heated steam had her stumbling back a few steps. She had not been expecting that. Coughing slightly as she tried to wave away the smoke from her face, Edith let out a quiet curse when her back met hot flesh behind her.** _

_**Eventually, the smoke disappeared, leaving her to find herself trapped inside a cage made of flesh and bone. "H-hey Eren? You in control up there?" Edith called out, her voice cracking slightly at the predicament she found herself in.** _

_**"Uh, I think so?" Eren replied, not sounding very sure of himself as he eventually found Edith stuck between a wall of flesh and bone beside him.** _

_**"Well, that's inspiring" Edith muttered as she hesitantly touched the large bones in front of her. When they appeared cool enough to touch, Edith hoisted her bag over her shoulders and began the climb up the partially submerged Titan ribcage.** _

_**"Are you okay, Edith?" Eren looking rather odd with his guilty expression and fist submerged in flesh as he paused to search the girl (who straddled the ribcage next to him) for any injuries she may have incurred from his unexpected transformation.** _

_**"Oh, y'know just having a minor heart attack" she joked as she began her descent down the other side, completely ignoring the commotion that the other members of the Levi squad were creating as they surrounded them.** _

_**Hanji soon joined them, begging to touch the Titan arm only to begin bawling as Eren unceremoniously wrenched himself free and tumbled to the floor where he lay in a heap at Levi's feet.** _

_**"Edith!" Piper's high-pitched voice called from off to the side, the slight panic in her tone catching Edith's attention.** _

_**Edith hurried around the corner of the partial Titan only to slip and fall over in the puddle of blood that coated the ground. Edith groaned as she sat up, rubbing her tailbone from the sudden impact. "Eddie! I can't stop the bleeding!" Piper whined, tears gathering in her eyes.** _

_**Edith's head snapped up at that and her eyes grew wide at what she saw. There was Piper with her bloody hands pressed to Ryan's gut as she tried to unsuccessfully staunch the flow of blood. Leaping to her feet, Edith dropped down next to them and dumped her bag on the floor next to her as she unbuttoned Ryan's shirt, suddenly thankful for the button-up he was wearing.** _

_**Edith didn't even think about it as she clapped her hands together and thrust her small hands inside the wound, the familiar light of alkahestry illuminating the organs inside. She gripped tight to the organs inside and slowly healed him, putting him back together piece by piece.** _

_**Edith glanced up quickly at the sound of approaching footsteps to see that Oluo now stood in front of the trio with his blades raised threateningly when he had seen the flash of light from off to the right of the partial Titan carcass. The position that they were in probably didn't help matters.** _

_**"Hey Pipes?" Edith murmured.** _

_**"Yeah?" sniffed the girl who now held Ryan's head in her lap keeping a close eye on her friends as Edith worked.** _

_**"Can you make sure that trigger happy over there, doesn't run us through?" Edith asked nodding to Oluo.** _

_**"Sure" Piper moved, placing her own bag beneath Ryan's head before standing outwardly calm in front of the man's blades.** _

_**"Get outta my way, kid! I'm gonna run her through! She's a Titan too!" Oluo cried fear clearly present on his face.** _

_**"No you're not" Piper stated, "Edith is not a Titan, she is a medic and she is doing her job"** _

_**"Get outta my way or I'll-I'll run you through too!"** _

_**"Then do it. Run me through because I'm not moving" Oluo paused at the reply, clearly not having expected it. Piper took advantage of the hesitation, grabbing tight to the man's shoulder's before pushing him downwards and ramming her knee into his groin. Hard. Oluo dropped like a sack of potatoes, clutching at his bruised groin as he moaned and groaned at the pain.** _

_**Piper bent down and picked his blades from the ground, before turning to the others who stood watching the scene play out. "Anyone else?" she asked, prepared to do it again. When she received no reply from the surprised group, she turned on her heel and made her way back over to her friends, stabbing the blades into the ground before she knelt back down next to Ryan's head.** _

_**"Well, that's one way to handle it, I suppose" Hanji muttered glancing over at the groaning mess that was Oluo who had now curled away from the puddle of vomit next to him. Apparently the medic could hit hard.** _

_**"What's the verdict doc?" Ryan slurred, his head lolling to the side as he tried to look at Edith who was now wrist deep in his guts.** _

_**"Well, you're lucky it was such a clean cut, missed all the important bits too" Edith replied with sweat building on her brow. Typically alkahestry wasn't too taxing but the ordeal of having to piece someone back together cell by cell was understandably tiring.** _

_**"Oh, you sweet talker you" Ryan laughed, "I love the way you fist me!"** _

_**"Only you could turn a near death experience into sex" Edith chuckled.** _

_**"It's gift"** _

_**"Ain't that the truth!"** _

* * *

**Mess Hall**   
**Old Scout HQ**

_**That evening after the trio of medics had returned to their quarters, the Levi squad sat gathered around several of the empty tables in the mess hall. Eren sat by himself, many of the other members giving him a wide berth in their wariness of the boy.** _

_**"Feast your eyes on this!" Hanji declared placing a wrapped object on the only lit table. Many of the others ignored the banter between Levi and Hanji, well used to the vulgarness.** _

_**"That's the spoon, right?" Eren said upon the revelation of the small object.** _

_**"The very one. Your spontaneous Titan arm erupted into being while holding it, like so" Hanji held the teaspoon between her thumb and index finger in a fist, "Resting between the thumb and the index finger.** _

_**The world operates on chance, so coincidences are expected but this begs something more. This utensil wasn't warped by the heat or by the pressure. Any thoughts on the matter?"** _

_**"…All I know is that I went to pick it up, when I did the arm came outta nowhere"** _

_**"Interesting, this might explain why you couldn't change in the well. I'm certain of it. Slaying Titans, blocking cannon fire, living boulders in each instance before assuming Titan form seemingly at will there was a distinct goal in mind. I believe it's possible that self-harm isn't the only catalyst of transformation, it appears as though a clear objective is a crucial ingredient as well"** _

_**"I think you might be on to something, the last time was a lot like the time with the cannon ball. But I…I transformed into a Titan just to pick up a damn spoon? It's insane" Eren mumbled staring at his healed hand.** _

_**"So uh, what I'm getting outta this is what you pulled isn't something you did on purpose?" questioned Gunther.** _

_**"No sir" Eren replied. Gunther heaved a great sigh before turning to Eld giving him a nod. The others also gave each other a nod, silently agreeing something that was beyond Eren's comprehension.** _

_**As one, the squad raised their hands to their mouths and bit down hard, much to the surprise of Levi, Hanij and Eren. "What the-what the hell do you think you're doing?" Eren cried out against the action.** _

_**"Ow! Okay that hurts like a son of a bitch!" Eld complained "Damn kid, I'm impressed you can sink your teeth in that deep without shrieking"** _

_**"We made a judgement today and it was wrong. Consider this our way of apologising, that is if you can find it in your heart to forgive us" Gunther apologised.** _

_**"We make spur of the moment decisions, okay? Make the best call we can with what we know. It's our job to keep you in check!" Oluo added.** _

_**"The fact is we're scared and that's no excuse, I know. You've every right to be upset" Petra tacked on "But all that aside we're doomed if we can't trust one another, just as you are if you can't trust us. Eren, I'm asking you…"** _

"…Trust us!"

"EREN! COME ON! MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND!" Levi called over his shoulder at the boy who was still warring with himself.

"I'M WITH YOU!" Eren burst out. He turned his head away, closing his eyes from the next Scout killed as they continued on.

"TARGET IS ACCELERATING!" called Eld as the Female Titan moved into a sprinter's form, dust flying up behind her.

"Just keep moving, we'll outrun the bitch" Levi replied.

 _Outrun it? Are you kidding me?_  Eren thought peeking over his shoulder,  _If we keep riding like this with our backs to her like this, we'll be crushed before we know what hit us!_  He glanced over towards the stoic figure of Levi.

 _No! We're at deaths door, we've seen our comrades die left and right and we're still moving forward. They trust the captain and he trusts them, that's what this is about, that's why they can all keep moving._  Eren bowed his head and grit his teeth as he checked on the progress of the Female Titan, _I-I need to be a part of it. I need to trust them and I need them to trust me!_

All of a sudden, a loud bang resonated throughout the forest just as the Levi squad passed through a tight clearing, much to the surprise to the members of the squad. The first round of wires hooked themselves into the lower legs of the Female Titan, holding her steadfast in her place.

"FIRE!" Erwin roared from his perch in the trees as more wires were fired towards the Female Titan, holding her in place. Canon fire lit up the dim forest as wire after wire was fired into the stationary female.

"Everyone, hitch your horses up a little further on. Switch to ODM gear, I have to break away for a little while. Eld's in charge until I get back, tuck Eren somewhere out of sight of the Female Titan and see to my horse" Levi commanded before launching himself up into the canopy and making his way back to where the captured Female Titan lay.

When all had quieted down, Eren could see all the wires that had embedded themselves in the Female Titan as the sunlight bounced off of them, making them glisten through the smoke of the canons. "Wait, what? They're going to take her alive? Seriously?" Eren questioned.

"…So what do ya think of us now, Eren? We managed to outsmart the damn thing!" Gunther called.

"Let this be a lesson to you, greenhorn. Don't ever underestimate the Scouts! Never again! Agreed?" cried Oluo.

"Agreed!" Eren grinned.

* * *

"She's not putting up much of a fight" Levi commented as he came to land next to Erwin who was overlooking the capture of the beast.

"That's no reason to let our guard down. Good work leading her here, I'm more than a little impressed" replied Erwin as the duo watched the Female Titan struggled against her restraints. Her hands stayed clamped over the nape of her neck, doing everything she could to protect it even whilst in this vulnerable state.

"We couldn't have without the rear contingent whose lives bought us time. This belongs to  _them_ , I don't intend to ever forget that"

"That so?"

"Yes, because of their sacrifice we can expose whoever this really is. Tend to wonder who this really is; they must be pissing themselves right about now"


	28. The 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition: Erwin Smith

_**"A man with a plan…there's usually one…and it's always all about the 'greater good'…I hate that saying, 'the greater good'…that's what arrogantly rich and pompous nobles say to excuse their reasons for sending others off to die for them"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition**

_**"…After setting forth to establish a route to Shiganshina, the Scout regiment encountered a Female Titan…seemingly possessed of sharp cold-hearted intelligence. As soldier upon soldier fell to this new foe, the regiment retreated into a forest of massive trees…though to what purpose no one appeared to know…The apparent capture of the Female Titan came as a surprise to most…"- Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert** _

Eren could've sworn that the Female Titan was staring straight at him as the Levi squad (minus Levi) headed further into the trees. That piercing stare chilled him to his core, reminding him very much of the Colossal or the Armoured Titan. It was terrifying, they had escaped death by the skin of their teeth.

 _An Abnormal?_  He pondered staring back at the beast, _No she's more like…more like the Colossal Titan. Huh, wait! So does that mean Commander Erwin was-_

"Hey! Snap out of it runt!" Oluo snapped wrenching Eren from his thoughts.

"You can puzzle it all out later, right now we need you focused on moving ahead!" Petra scolded.

"Right!" Eren responded as they rode on.

* * *

Edith had moved from her crouched position, to standing upright but she kept her eyes trained on the Titans beneath her feet. The rookies had been resting on their morels for some time now, but it was still worrying how fast the Titans adapted to their situation, as dumb as they were. They were practically climbing over each other to get up the trees.

Not to mention the canon fire that had pierced through the forest nonstop, scaring off the natural wildlife. The only things that remained were the Scouts (plus their horses) and the Titans, everything else had fled.

 _Little shits figured out how to climb, huh?_  she thought gripping tight to her blades as she watched a four metre sink its digits into the bark and shakily pulled himself up the tree across from her.  _I suppose if they come up any further we can always move…I hope the order to retreat comes soon though, we might run outta tree before it comes._

"Hey Ed, you reckon that's canon fire or what?" Ryan asked from the branch above her, "I mean, what else makes that kind of noise?"

"I dunno, I mean if that is the case why didn't we see them bring any canons in?" Edith replied glancing up at where her friend was crouched. It doesn't make a lick of sense, what are we even doing here?

"What do ya say we move outta the way?" Jean suggested receiving a nod from both Edith and Armin. The trio moved further into the trees with Edith going up and inwards while Jean & Armin went straight in where they found perches that still overlooked the incoming Titans. "Ugly bastard's really getting the hang of it. At this rate, he's gonna try his hand at building a damn treehouse"

"The alarming thing is that it shows that they can learn; an unpleasant thought" Armin replied.

"I'll say" Ryan muttered.

"Of course they probably all develop at different rates"

"Hey Armin, they want us keeping these Titans outta the forest, right? I think I just figured out why. We're here to lure that Female Titan into a trap. Come on, what else could it be? It's like you said, there's a person inside it, steering the thing and Commander Erwin wants to find out who" Jean interjected up.

"I suppose that makes sense" Edith piped up with a thoughtful look on her face. The boys listened as she mused aloud, peeking over their shoulders at her but never once letting the Titans out of their sights, "I mean the thing clearly showed intent and intelligence of some kind when it first arrived"

"What? Why didn't you say anything, then?" Jean demanded turning to fully face the girl.

"Well I was a bit preoccupied with being swallowed, so y'know…" she reported sassily, "Damn! That's the second time! I'm either really lucky or really stupid"

"I'm going with the latter" Ryan teased with a grin.

"Oi!"

"Oh you're so cute when you're mad!" he cooed.

"Why you-!" Edith growled raising her hands and mimed strangling him. Ryan just laughed.

* * *

"…So that was the plan from the start? We weren't flying by the seat of our pants?" Eren asked turning in place so that he could get a look at the members who surrounded him in the trees, "Look, I'm not complaining. I get keeping it from me, but come on? Keeping you guys in the dark? You'd think you'd earn a little more trust than that, right?"

"Damn! You're annoying" Oluo barked.

"I hope you're not suggesting the Captain kept the plan from us because he thinks we're a liability!" Petra snapped.

"Sorry, but I am! It's the only thing that makes sense!"

"ENOUGH OF THIS! PETRA! KNOCK THE TEETH OUTTA HIS SKULL!" Oluo burst out.  _Edith's right_ , Eren thought looking over at the taller man's outburst, _He really does remind me of Jean. Especially like that._

"Look, I hate to say it, but the kid's got a point" Eld butted in.

"Huh?"

"For being supposedly instrumental to the plan as we were, the Captain didn't give us much to go on"

"So what?" Gunther asked.

"It means he  _doesn't_  trust us, kinda big deal. C'me on you guys, think about it. Maybe Eren isn't the only one who can change, maybe someone in the Regiment's a Titan spy. It's the only way all the pieces fit"

"A spy? Are you sure about that?"

"Well, no. I'm sure the Commander believes it. He'd have to and I'd wager you anything, the only people who know about it are the survivors from five years ago"

"Of course, that's gotta be it"

"I concur whole heartedly. Hear that snivel-drop there was a good reason" Oluo added.

"Right, yes. A perfectly good reason" Petra muttered, "And heads up, after the fall, in their position what's the best way of narrowing down the list of suspects to a manageable number? Shiganshina is probably when the spy got in"

"So you think this person's responsible for killing Sonny and Bean?" Eld asked.

"Possibly. In fact, after it happened, the Commander asked me this odd question"

Eren jolted slightly at that confession, his mind racing to that moment as he stood in the courtyard of the former Scout HQ gazing upon the evaporating Titan corpses.  _ **"What is it you think you see? who do you think the real enemy is here? Erwin asked suddenly popping up between the newest recruits. Edith jumped at his sudden appearance, muttering a curse under her breath as she spared a glance at the Commander. "Ignore me, loaded question"**_

"So _that's_  what he meant, of course!" Eren muttered.

"If we'd known the answer to that question, he probably would've let us in on what was happening today. Though then again, I don't think any of us really could've" Eld continued.

"Speak for yourself my friend, I knew. I just decided to keep my own council, doubtless you appreciate the reason for my silence" Oluo gloated.

"Which would be…?" Petra played along.

"Oh come now, surely you all know? Dear oh dear, perhaps I've said too much already, well one day when you've reached my level of expertise…"

"Look, we all get that you like to pretend you're Captain Levi, but that's not how he sounds" she deadpanned.

 _If we pull this off, we might learn what the Titans are all about. But even for that…was it worth letting so many people die?_  Eren worried.

* * *

"You think the Commander was wrong to leave us outta the loop?" Ryan asked the others as they watched the Titan before them fall to the floor where it lay in a heap.

"Well, he certainly wasn't in the right, why put so many of our lives at risk just because one of us can't be trusted?" Jean replied from his spot next to Armin and below Edith & Ryan.

"We probably could've smoked out the spy, maybe saved some good people. Then again, who wants to accuse their friends of being a traitor?" Edith added.

"He did what was necessary" Armin grit out.

"Are you seriously trying to defend him?! Do you now how many of us died so that the Commander could play intrigue?" Jean spat.

"Of course I do, all I'm saying is that it's easy to judge in hindsight. At the time though, there was no way to know how things would turn out. He's the Commander, not a soothsayer. He had to act on what he had, period. He had to choose: a handful of us or all of us. What would you have done? He made a decision; he sacrificed a hundred lives for the good of mankind"

"I suppose if we live long enough, we might just figure out why Erwin was chosen as the Commander and why even people as cagey as Captain Levi follow him" Edith murmured.

"Well that's a cheery thought" Ryan muttered.

"I may be naive" Armin continued, "But there's one thing I do know beyond all doubt. Genuine harbingers of change must be able to do what others won't dare, sacrifice their heart, accept the burden of doing the unspeakable. Whether we like to admit it or not the fact is this: to rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. That's the irony really, if you can't let it go, it's not worth holding onto!"

"…Sina, Armin! With logistics like that, I'm glad you're on our side" Ryan whistled once the blonde had finished ranting.

* * *

"Poor thing, can't so much as bat an eyelash, can we? Must be terrible frustrating, get used to it my dear. Biology can often times be a curse, case and point: the more your wounds heal, the stiffer your joints become!" Hanji gushed gazing upon the Female Titan, "Now what in the world is the hold up on the extraction of our esteemed guest? It won't get any easier, strike while the iron's still hot, I say"

At that moment, Levi and Mike leapt down from their perch with blades drawn as they set their sights on the nape of the captured Titan. However, before their blades could pierce skin, the Female Titan harden her skeletal hands forming some sort of crystal barrier. Shards of crystal and broken blades flew, leaving the Titan relatively unharmed much to the surprise of those present.

 _An impressive ability!_  Erwin thought as Mike showed him his blunted blades.  _So she can harden her skin to protect portions of her body, similar to the one who rushed Wall Maria, the Armoured Titan, I believe they called him._

Down below, the crystals encasing the Titan's hands fell away leaving the unharmed skeletal hands behind.  _The question is, how many blade strikes would it take to finally chip our way through? Too many in any event, time is short._

Erwin signalled for another round to fire. "Yes sir?" a Scout from the Wagon defence squad asked landing next to Erwin.

"Prepare an artillery round, I want her hands blown off" Erwin commanded.

"With all due respect Commander, there's a risk if we use the canons. The hands will get blown off, but whatever's beneath them will too, sir"

"A valid point soldier, which is why you'll aim carefully and sever them at the wrists. On my signal I want an all out salvo"

"Yes sir"

"Knock knock" Levi taunted from atop the Female Titan's crown. Whilst Mike had returned to the canopy after their first attempt at slice the beast open. "We know you're in there, so why don't you make this easy and come on out & stop wasting our time? Seriously, what can you possibly gain by stalling? If you're thinking we'll let you go, we won't. If you're thinking about trying to escape, don't. All you should be thinking about is the good men you killed today"

Levi sighed, narrowing his gaze on the back of her head, "Not that you would, it's not your style is it? Remorse, you  _enjoy_  killing which means we have something in common. Of course, I enjoy killing Titans but it's a start, I'm sure we can still find some middle ground"

The Female Titan kept her head bowed and her hands clasped tightly over her nape as she listened to Levi rant and rave. "Oh that's right, while we're on that subject let me ask. You're okay with me cutting your limbs off at the joints, right? I mean they'll grow back. I'm actually talking about you  _real_  body, don't want you dead just yet the timing wouldn't work"

Abruptly, the Female Titan snapped her head up as much as she could and let out a ferocious roar that ripped through the forest. Trees shook & rattled with the scream. Many Scouts scrambled to find a hold on the trees, fighting to stay upright while others hooked themselves into the trees and slammed their hands over their ears at the sudden noise.

* * *

 _What the fuck was that?_  Edith thought eyes wide once the terrifying roar ceased.

"Edith please tell me that was your stomach" Ryan breathed, his scared expression meeting her own. It took a minute for what he said to register.

"Oi! What are you trying to say, Ryan?"

"Nothing!"

"Hey, what's that?" Armin asked looking towards the horizon where a large dust cloud gave way to a horde of Titans that were fast approaching.

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell is this? They're all going in! Why are they ignoring us all of a sudden? " Jean exclaimed watching the horde sprint into the forest as if in answer to the call.

"Maria's tits! Are you telling me they're  _all_  Abnormals?!" Edith cried as she followed the others into the forest in an attempt to shorten their numbers.

"Who cares?! Just get slicing!" Ryan called coming up on her left.

The flurry of blades and blood that followed the Scouts were only marked by the evaporating Titan corpses they left behind them like a macabre trail. It wasn't until the last of the stragglers had managed to slip through their defences that the rookies came to a stop, resting for a moment as they awaited their next lot of orders.

"Oh thank Sina! Finally!" Ryan breathed upon sighting the blue signal flare, ordering them to retreat.

"Hold on, you telling me it's over?" Jean questioned.

"I guess we're done here. C'me on Ryan, we're on body duty" Edith added, dropping from her perch to join her fellow medic in the recollection of the fallen.

* * *

"Alright! Let's saddle up! We're going home!" Gunther relayed having spotted the blue signal flare from where they hid.

"Chop chop, rookie. One would thing you'd be beside yourself to get an eyeful of who drove that gargantuan thing" Oluo commented standing up from his crouch.

"You really think they found out who it is?" Eren asked as he knelt to refill his empty gas canisters.

"Of course! All thanks to you" Petra chirped.

"Wha-? I didn't do anything" Eren protested.

"You learned to trust your fellow members of the squad, that's big. The sort of thing that turns out well for everyone involved actually. A lesser man in your position probably would've buckled and then where would we be?" Eren felt himself swell at the praise, not many people handed that out so freely nowadays.

"Oh please! Why not just ruffle his hair, while you're at it?" Oluo complained, breaking up the moment. It was clear that the man was envious of the moment between the two, his crush on Petra showing itself in full force.

"We'd be exactly where we are now, without of course having had to endure his insistent whining. Don't wait for me to decorate your path with pink and white rose petals. Survive the journey home and I might be persuaded to respect you, but the mission isn't over! Not till we're through the gates, do you understand?"

"Yes sir. I completely understand" Eren drawled.  _Geez the similarities between him and Jean are uncanny!_

"Oluo! Petra! I gotta hand it to ya both, for someone who wet themselves the first time out, you've come a long way!" Eld praised once everyone had refilled and headed back to rejoin the ranks.

"AH! I THOUGHT WE AGREED NEVER TO SPEAK OF IT AGAIN!" Petra exploded in embarrassment.  _Holy shit! Seriously?_  Eren thought in shock.

"Relax! Incidentally, I've never once pissed myself" Eld grinned.

"How dare you! I have the highest kill count of anyone on the damn squad! Imbecile!" Oluo argued.

"If you wanna hide behind your kill counts, be my guest!"

"Shut your hole!"

"So did it like, rain down on everyone midair or what?" Eren asked still stuck on the whole hero's pissing their pants thing.

"ENOUGH! NO ONE CARES WHO PISSED WHOSE PANTS! FOCUS ON THE JOB AT HAND!" Gunther called over his shoulder at the head of the pack,"FOR THE RECORD, MY SHORTS HAVE  _ALWAYS_  BEEN DRY"

* * *

"Erwin, why did you order Levi to replenish? There's no time" Hanji finally questioned as she and the surviving weapon defence squad rode out of the forest, following the failed capture of the Female Titan.

"You saw the Female Titan get eaten" Erwin replied referring to the horde of Titans who had appeared at her call and began to devour the body, "But did we actually see the person inside suffer the same fate? I didn't"

"Ah! You mean…"

"Yes, your hypothesis is correct. This isn't over. We're dealing with someone like Eren, someone who generates in and out of Titan form. Suppose they equipped themselves with ODM gear in advanced? Suppose further that they also disguised themselves in one of our uniforms, what would their next move be? How do fare against the enemy, when they're one of your own?"


	29. The 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition: Crushing Blow

_**"…I suppose in the end, there's a killer in all of us…maybe not the mass murderer kind, maybe just the bug swatter kind"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition**

"So if we're going home, that means the operation was a success, right?" Jean questioned as he and the others made their way back to the original entrance to the Titan forest; where they would regroup with the rest of the ranks.

"Hopefully so. If that is the case, then they might've already discovered the identity of the Female Titan" Armin replied.

"I wouldn't mind knowing that myself" Edith tacked on, "Still, I'm impressed with the Commander. How'd he know she'd come after us once we took Eren beyond the Wall?"

"Think about it at the Trost invasion. Did it strike you as odd that the Titans suddenly halted their advance midway through? They must've had some purpose when they destroyed the front gate, but they never made a move on the inner gate; nor did they interfere with Eren when he sealed the breach. Perhaps something happened which made them reevaluate their plan entirely"

"What would that be?" Jean asked.

"Something drew their attention away from the Wall's destruction, something that forced them to call off the attack"

"What like Eren's transformation?" Ryan gasped.

"That's the most logical conclusion"

"Wait, but then that would mean…" Jean breathed.

"It means they were there, whoever called off the attack saw Eren transform. It means the enemy is one of us"

"Holy shit, did not see  _that_  coming" Ryan muttered.

* * *

It all happened so fast. One minute they were flying through the air, the next Gunther was hanging upside down like a dead spider. Eren raced over to him, calling out his name but stopped when he saw the condition he was in. Gunther's head was bent at such an unnatural angle and a vacant look was present in his eyes; one that didn't belong there. There was no doubt about it, he was dead.

"GUNTHER!" Eren cried trying desperately to rouse the dead scout.

"GO KID! C'ME ON! KEEP MOVING!" Oluo called grabbing Eren as he swung passed, hoisting him back into the air.

"W-WE'RE JUST LEAVING HIM?!" Eren cried, all sense of decorum gone out the window as the shadowed figure struck again, this time going after the remaining Scouts.

"W-WHO IS THAT?" Petra demanded.

"KEEP 'EM AWAY FROM EREN!" Eld called from the front of the pack.

"DAMMIT! HEY ELD, WHAT ARE WE DOING?" Oluo shouted.

"THERE ISN'T TIME TO GET THE HORSES, MAKE FOR HQ AT FULL SPEED!" Eld cried zooming forward with the shadowed figure right on his tail.

"Is that the Female Titan or did she have an accomplice?" Oluo wondered aloud.

"Damn! Whoever it is THEY'RE GONNA PAY EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Petra declared spinning in place with a murderous look on her face.

 _The Female Titan?_  Eren worried, peeking over his shoulder at the shadowed figure who disappeared from their sights as they dodged around a tree.  _No! That can't be right! I thought we'd caught her!_  They didn't have to wait for long. A familiar light struck the earth and steam poured out of the creature that emerged.

"I hate being right!" Oluo complained.

"No time to lose, move it! She's coming for us!" Eld ordered as the Female Titan rose and began to sprint after the fleeing Scouts. Her thundering footsteps shook everything in its path, very few of those things remaining intact.

"DAMN YOU! NOT AGAIN! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WILL!" Eren declared preparing to take her on.

"NO! DON'T! WE'VE GOT THIS! THE THREE OF US CAN HANDLE IT! GET BACK TO BASE! GO NOW!" Eld shouted, stopping Eren from transforming.

"I CAN FIGHT HER TOO!" Eren protested.

"JUST GO! THIS IS OUR BEST COURSE OF ACTION! WE  _CANNOT_  AFFORD TO PUT YOU AT RISK!"

"HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING? AFTER ALL THIS YOU STILL DOUBT OUR SKILLS?" Oluo added.

"IS THAT TRUE EREN? I THOUGHT YOU HAD FAITH IN US! THAT YOU TRUSTED US!" Petra ended, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. Eren paused for a moment, gritting his teeth as he fought over what to do. Eventually he gave the remaining squad members a small nod before lowering his hands from his mouth and turning back around.

"I HAVE FAITH IN YOU!" Eren cried, zooming forward much to the relief of the others.

Eld, Petra and Oluo triple-teamed the Female Titan, dodging outstretched limbs and slicing through her eyes, blinding her. Eren could only watch as the Female Titan backed herself up against a tree with her hand covering the nape of her neck like she had done only moments before.

 _We've blinded her!_  Eld thought determinedly,  _That should give us at least a minute before she regenerates!_

 _We'll finish her well before then!_  Petra exclaimed.  _We're gonna carve you up!_

T _o hell with capturing you, we're gonna kill you!_  Oluo declared.  _We'll make you pay, bitch!_

 _Covering your neck isn't gonna save you! We'll just keeping slicing those shoulders until your arms are worthless! Trust me, we know what we're doing! No mercy! Go to hell!_  Eld thought as the trio took turns slicing through both of her exposed shoulders.

"NOW TAKE OUT THE NECK!" Eld yelled once the beast's arms had fallen limp at her sides. The had to be careful though, Titan steam was beginning to pour from her wounded eyes.

"TAKE OUT THE MUSCLES SUPPORTING HER HEAD!" Oluo roared.

"LET'S CARVE OUR WAY TO THE NAPE!" Petra cried.

 _They…they've got it totally overwhelmed!_  Eren thought peeking over his shoulder as the trio descended on the defenceless beast,  _They're so good, they've all co-ordinated an attack without even saying a word! It must be the trust they have in each other as teammates, that's how they've survived this long, it's how they've managed to stay this strong even after losing Gunther!_

Eren faced forwards once more, determination driving him forward.  _Gotta keep going! I have to have faith that the right choice is to keep moving without looking back! I've gotta trust in them, I understand that now._

Just then, Captain Levi's words from earlier flashed before him.  _ **Truth is, I don't know which is better, I never have. Should I go out on my own? Should I put myself in the hands of my comrades? Either way there's no guarantee…"**  _Eren glanced over his shoulder once more to see Eld going in for another shot. "SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR NAPE!" he cried prepping his blades to cut through the beast's neck. But he didn't move fast enough.

One of her eyes had already healed and she snapped her head to towards him so fast that he didn't even have time to scream. She bit down on his head, decapitating him in one go before spitting out both pieces on the forest floor; making sure to keep her gaze locked on Eren as if she was mocking him.

Eren didn't think twice about swinging back around to help Petra and Oluo.  _Just one, let me just save one!_

"HOW? SHE CAN SEE AGAIN? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT HANS'T EVEN BEEN THRITY SECONDS!" Petra wailed as she fled from the Female Titan. The beast in question raised her head and locked her gaze on the Scouts in from of her; it made her look quite eerie.

She no longer felt the need to guard her nape well aware of the advantage she now had. "ONLY ONE EYE? SHE CHANNELLED HER ENERGY INTO ONE EYE TO GROW IT BACK FASTER? HOW CAN SHE DO THAT?"

"PETRA! PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! PETRA!" Oluo ordered as he trailed after the fleeing Scout and chasing Titan. He didn't make it in time, the last thing he saw was the Female Titan raising her foot and smashing it down on Petra; leaving her as nothing more than a smudge on the tree.

"Now…DIE!" Oluo cried as he sliced his blades through the nape of her neck. However it was not the flesh that gave way, but his blades which shattered upon the impact of the glistening crystal covering her nape. Oluo barely had time to register what had happened before he too was swatted away, bouncing off a nearby tree with a sickening crack.

Eren felt sick to his stomach at what he had just witnessed. Not only had the Female Titan decimated their ranks earlier in the day, she had also just killed the Levi squad-the Special Operations squad-they were supposed to be the best of the best and she had swatted them away like they were pesky flies.

Eren burst forth from the canopy, his gaze wandering over the corpses of his teammates who littered the forest floor in a bloody mess. Instinctively he bit down hard on his hand, giving the beast what she had wanted all along.

The familiar light of a Titan transformation illuminated the forest and the sky as Eren emerged from the smoke, standing tall over the crouched female. His roar pierced through the trees, declaring his fury to the world.

The next few moments were a flurry of swinging limbs and furious roars. Even while holding the majority of the advantages, Eren was no match for the Female who moved with the elegance of a trained fighter.

Eren, on the other hand, relied on a brawling fighting style; the kind you would see kids use when fighting in the street. It was clear that where Eren was driven by pure unadulterated rage, the Female Titan was driven by cold and calculating steps pushing her towards her goal.

* * *

Levi rushed through the forest, using the sound of fighting and roars alone to guide him to the beasts. His anger grew with each body he passed. It was a cold anger, the kind that built up slowly and released itself in devastating actions. Gunther, Eld, Petra, Oluo. His teammates, his friends, gone.  _That bitch is going to pay!_

* * *

Eren pinned the Female Titan to the ground and rained down blows that physically split his limbs with the force. The Female continued to struggle despite this, twisting and turning to avoid the hits being dealt her way.

_I made the wrong decision, you came after us and I made the choice to trust my teammates! And it got them all killed! I should have never left it to them! I should've fought her from the very start! It's all my fault! I SHOULD'VE KILLED HER!_

Eren recalled the first time the Female Titan had appeared on their tail, _I should've…should've changed into a Titan then. No, even earlier than that. I should've fought back! And with Captain Levi there, we would've beaten her! WE COULD'VE CAPTURED THIS MONSTER!_

_**"…I wouldn't blame you, do as your conscious dictates…"** _

_It was…it was my choice and because of that choice, my teammates are dead! All of them gone and I'm to blame! NO! MORE THAN ANYTHING, THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I'M GONNA RIP YOU TO SHREDS! ONCE MY HANDS HEAL, I'LL TEAR YOU APART PIECE BY PIECE! THEN I'LL DEVOUR YOU!"_

It was only once Eren had begun to tire, his emotion-fuelled hits coming to a close, that the Female Titan struck her final blow. With a swipe of her crystallised fist, she tore his head clean off, leaving his steaming body to drop to the floor. Eren couldn't even react as the Female Titan latched onto his nape with her fangs and tore him free.

It was to this scene that Mikasa arrived, her beloved brother fused to his Titan carcass with the Female Titan leaning over him with her jaws cracked wide in an eerie grin. "EREN NO!" Mikasa wailed as the Female Titan tore him from the carcass and swallowed him whispers gave way to murderous revenge in an instant, driving her forward after the retreating Female.

"Give him…give him back!" Mikasa cried as the Female Titan placed a hand over her nape. Mikasa held no qualms about slicing through the hand to get to the nape. "DO YOU HEAR ME? GIVE HIM BACK!" she roared, landing hits any which way she could, anything to slow the bitch down. She was like a one woman army.

At the last second, the Female Titan crystallised her hands, breaking Mikasa's blades as they struck home and sending shards flying everywhere. Hooking into a nearby tree, Mikasa barely let herself rest before she took after the beast once more, clinging to the hope that Eren was still alive.

"My blades…didn't even break the skin? He's still alive, he's still alive and I'm coming for him! JUST HANG ON EREN! I know you're in there and after I kill her, I'll carve out her insides and pull you out again. I swear I will, just hang on a little longer. Don't give up, Eren, never give up!"


	30. The 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition: The Hunted

**"...Don't ever piss of a medic...they hold your precious life in their hands...it may the last thing you ever do"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850**

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition**

_**"After making a sudden reappearance, the Female Titan wiped out the Levi Squad's most elite soldiers one by one...Blaming himself for their deaths, Eren Jeager turned back to face the enemy, launching a furious assault in his Titan form. Yet for all his rage, Eren was defeated and taken by the Female Titan...The pursuit of the Female Titan by Levi Ackerman and Mikasa Ackerman was filled with a longing for revenge...for the ones they had lost and the ones they didn't want to lose..." -Titans Through the Ages: Female Titan, Geoff Bramwood** _

Dodging a strike from the Female Titan, Mikasa followed after her retreating form only to be picked up by Levi who had just arrived. "Stay back for now" He ordered as they flew parallel to each other, "Maintain current distance. She's slowed down a bit, that fight wore her out too. It looked like she may have bitten the entire nape off, it's unlikely Eren survived"

Mikasa narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth at that. Who was he to suggest that Eren was dead? He didn't know Eren, didn't know what he was capable of. Not like her. "He's still alive in there, this Titan is different. It acts with purpose, if she wanted Eren dead, she would've simply crushed him like the others. No, she needs him for something"

Her thoughts drifted back to a few moments earlier when she had watched the Female Titan rip Eren from his Titan form. "...But she also needs her hands to bite, so she's been holding him on her tongue"

"It is possible she just wanted to savour her quarry" Levi argued, "In that case, it's likely that he's already been swallowed. If so, he's dead"

"He's alive!"

 _"...Someone's_  optimistic"

"If you had just done your damn job and protected him like you were supposed to, we wouldn't be having this  _conversation!"_  Mikasa snapped. Levi swung around to face the raging rookie speaking to her as if she were a young child. "I see now, he's your childhood friend, right? Suddenly this all makes sense" he muttered as the pieces fell into place, "Right, for the sake of argument let's say Eren's alive. First, we forget about taking her down"

"No way! She's killed too many of our people for that! She's dead!" replied Mikasa her rage blinding her.

"She's got defences that neither of us have been trained to deal with. I'm telling you, it's a lost cause. Instead, we'll act on your assumption that Eren is alive and focus only on retrieving him before she exits the forest. I'll handle all the cutting, you find a way to distract her"

"Right"

The two Ackermans continued to pursue the Female Titan, each with a promise of murder and fury in their eyes. However where Mikasa was boiling hot rage and emotion, Levi was cold hearted anger and action. It was fair to say that these two had some hell to wreck on the beast.

While Mikasa swung low under the Female Titan's feet, ultimately gaining her attention, Levi flew high, aiming for the nape of the Female Titan. The glint off of his blades alerted the Female Titan to his presence as she spun around and launched a right hook straight towards him.

Acting instinctively, Levi flipped end over end, carving a line right up to the shoulder making blood fly as he spun. Next, he leapt forward burying his blades deep in her skull and disengaged the blades where they sat snug in her eyes.

Redrawing his blades, Levi spun around the Female Titan, slicing her up in any which way he could; aiming to cut and cut deep. He was like a one man army. The beast collapsed against a nearby tree, clasping tight to the nape of her neck so as to protect it from the next logical strike.

 _He's fast! She can't react! Her skin won't harden in time!_  Mikasa exclaimed as she watched the events before her play out. Levi rebounded from a nearby tree and returned to hacking away at the hunched form of the Female Titan, for once letting his emotions run wild. And then it happened, the moment they had been waiting for. The beast's arm fell from her nape and hung limply by her side.

 _Huh! Her nape!_  Mikasa swung around the back of the tree that the Female Titan was leant against,  _It's wide open! It looks like her whole body's gone limp, now's my chance!_ Mikasa latched a wire into the shoulder blades and came down hard despite Levi's protests.

"DON'T DO IT!" Levi called with wide eyes as he saw what Mikasa was about to do. She was within arms reach when shit hit the fan. The Female Titan covered her nape in glistening crystal at the same time that she raised her right hand up to swat the girl from the sky. Mikasa was looking death in the face when Levi quite literally swooped in and pushed her out of the way.

He himself, just barely missed being squashed as he rebounded off of the Titan hand with a grunt of pain as his foot gave way with the strange landing. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Levi sliced his blades along the beast's jawline, unhinging the mouth and revealing the prize inside. "EREN!" Mikasa cried elated at seeing her brother relatively unharmed and mostly alive.

With a quick twist, Levi returned to the Titan's jaws and retrieved Eren's unconscious form from the lolling tongue. "Got 'em, let's go" he stated landing on a nearby branch across from Mikasa and the Female Titan.

"Eren" Mikasa breathed finally setting her sights on her brother who hung limply in Levi's arms.

"He's alright, disgusting but alright" And he wasn't wrong. Eren was covered from head to toe in Titan saliva that had acted as some sort of sack, keeping him safe. "What did I tell you about trying to take her down? Now come on! We've got Eren, that means our job is done. Don't screw this up by making it personal, understand?" Levi glanced over at the steaming Titan, "We all get that you love Eren but that doesn't mean you get to act crazy"

* * *

"I know these expeditions take a lot of lives, but shit...I didn't think we'd have to bring back so many corpses" Ryan commented as he loaded yet another wrapped body onto the wagon that he and Edith had commandeered.

"I know, right? I mean, I know we were warned about all...this and I suppose Trost was kinda like a taster for this kinda thing, but still..." Edith replied letting yet another dog tag fall from her fingers as she wrote down yet another name of a fallen comrade. They had to have been at this for hours now, she couldn't really be sure seeing as the canopy blocked the view of the sky, so neither of them really knew what the time was by now.

The other rookies had been redirected to rejoin the rest of the ranks, where they had reclaimed their horses and had any serious wounds tended to; before being set to work in body reclamation across the plains. Thankfully of those who had survived, a minor concussion here or there was about the worst there was. Sure, their emotions were all over the show, but who could blame them?

"Any more?" Ryan asked after placing the last body in the bed of the wagon from their latest collection.

"Nope. We just need to check the last stretch of the main path and then we're all good to go" Edith replied tucking the list of names into her pants as Ryan jumped down from the wagon.

"Whelp, let's go. They're not gonna collect themselves"

"...That be kinda creepy. Zombie Scouts come to eat your brains!" Edith waved her arms in front her, imitating a zombie. Ryan smirked at his friend who was clearly trying to make light of the situation.

The duo didn't get far before the heard the sound of ODM gear pierced through the forest. They must've painted an odd picture, with Edith gripping tight to the body's upper torso whilst Ryan stood on the ground below, ready and waiting to catch the body that Edith was going to drop.

Instead, Ryan raised his blades, tensed to fight and Edith crouched next to the body now laid by her feet with her hands hovering over her own sheathed blades. The two didn't relax until the figures landed on the branches of the adjacent tree.

"Oi brats! What are you still doing here?" Levi demanded readjusting his grip on an unconscious Eren. Mikasa alighted a branch or two below them, keeping an eye on the group.

"Body collection" Ryan stated as Edith joined Levi on the branch and relinquished Levi of his charge. Levi was all too happy to let the medics do their jobs...just maybe not right this second.

By this point, Mikasa had joined them in the same tree, making it rather crowded as she hovered close to her brother. Ryan could almost see that moment that Edith was about to snap at Mikasa and his first thought was  _You don't deserve that medal, cause you're an evil prick!_  as he watched Satan flash across her face.

However instead of the tongue lashing that he thought Mikasa was going to get, Edith paused in her examination. Her head snapped to the right and her eyes narrowed as her eyes roved over the surrounding forest.

"Edith? What is it?" Ryan asked noting the change in her behaviour. All eyes snapped to the short girl who sat tensed at their feet and at the serious tone her fellow medic had used. Without giving a reply, Edith rose to her feet and scurried higher up the tree like a squirrel. Once she had found a higher perch, she surveyed their surroundings through narrowed eyes once more, looking for whatever had caught her attention.

"Ed?" Ryan questioned again, unwilling to raise his voice just in case. There! Something glinted unnaturally amongst the canopy across the clearing from her.

"What is it, brat?" Levi grit out as he heaved himself up onto the branch next to her. Not that he would readily admit it, but his foot hurt like a bitch. Edith's eyes widened as she realised what was creating the unnatural glinting in the canopy across from them.

"Down!" She called shoving Levi down into a crouch and shielding him from the bullet that whistled towards them and pierced the bark where their heads had been not a second before. Levi let out a hiss of pain as he pushed himself up, his ankle flaring painfully at the sudden movement.

"Shit!" Edith cursed as she pulled the hot bullet from where it was lodged in the tree. She hissed at the hot bullet that she rolled around in her hands as she examined it and the hole it had created, "We're not alone"

The fact that the group had only been shot at once told them a few things. Either these new enemies knew what they were doing, they had few resources (which out here was quite possible) or it had just been a lucky shot. But if the engraving of a goat was anything to go by, then these guys meant business.

"Well then, what do we do now? Do we move?" Mikasa asked, worried about her brother and the short Captain who was trying to hide his injuries.

"With two injured and a body? No, we'd be more vulnerable in transit; make ourselves bigger targets" Ryan replied crossing his arms.

"Which means we'll have to deal with them here and now" Edith added pulling the familiar pistol out from its hiding spot, "I've got six, what about you?" she asked checking the filling pin.

"Me too" Ryan replied checking over his own.

"What are  _those?"_  Mikasa pointed to the pistols in their hands, well aware of the pointed gaze the Captain was sending towards the medics at the sudden revelation of the firearms.

"M9 pistol, standard issue" Ryan replied flicking the safety off.

"That's not gonna do much damage at this distance" Levi scowled.

"Not like this" Edith smirked.

"In the meantime, how do we draw them out? We can't very well fire aimlessly into the canopy" Ryan stated. Edith bit her lip in thought, before her gaze rested on a branch that was relatively the same length as Eren.

"Yeah that'll work" she muttered measuring the length of the branch she had snapped from the tree against the height of Eren. Next, she laid the broken branch at her feet and performed a small feat of alchemy. Whilst she specialised in alkahestry, she still knew at least the basics of alchemy. Her mother had seen to that.

The others watched on as the broken branch at their feet slowly morphed into a wooden puppet, one that partially resembled Eren. The leafy hair had even been turned brown. Edith then pulled off her Scout jacket and shoved it onto the puppet before turning to Mikasa. "There's a medic wagon at the entrance of the forest, it's not too far away. I need you to take this body double with you and you need to act as if you're in a hurry" she instructed.

"There's no way they're gonna believe that's Eren! It doesn't even look like him!" Mikasa protested.

"Not up close, no, but we're not gonna let them get that close. Besides, anyone whose ever known you, knows of your...relationship with Eren. Trust me, it's believable"

"...But he could get hurt!" Mikasa seemed to be grasping at straws by now; anything really to let her stay with her brother.

"No more than he already is, now go" When the girl didn't move, Ryan stepped forward until they were practically nose to nose.

"Ackerman, go" he ordered quietly. With her lips pulled back in a growl, Mikasa hoisted the puppet and fled.

With that sorted out, it didn't take much convincing to get Levi hidden further up the tree with the real Eren clutched to him. Once they were safely hidden higher up in the canopy, Ryan turned to Edith who was putting the finishing touches on the rifle that she had transmuted from her prosthetic and pistol. "Just so you know I hate this plan!" he complained.

"I know you do" Edith chuckled.

"Don't die"

"Yeah, you too"

* * *

A few moments later, Edith had situated herself on a large branch overlooking the main path, hidden by the large overhanging canopy. Her rifle was the only thing that made her stand out against the foliage, something which she could not change much to her chagrin.

Off to her left, Ryan stood guard over Levi and Eren where they were hidden further up on a tree. Edith took a deep breath in and settled her sights on the target she saw racing after Mikasa who just passed below her. Breathing out and using the scope to guide her, Edith trained the barrel on the unknown enemy who was fast approaching.

All it took was for that one bullet to hit its target before the others started coming out of the woodwork. They were like rats fleeing a sinking ship or a pack of wolves defending their own. Two came from the right whilst a third came from the left, each brandishing their own weapons.

Normally, if she were to face these three in a fight, Edith knew she'd probably end up dead. But up here from her vantage point, it was easy to pick them off one by one as the bullets found their marks. They fell like dead flies, hitting the ground with a sickening thud or banging against the trees as they got entangled in their ODM gear.

When all four were taken care of, Edith pulled her eye away from the scope and sucked on her lower lip as she looked down on her kills. It may not have been her first ones, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it. Which was probably a good thing, in hindsight.

Suddenly a war cry sounded from above her, pulling Edith from her thoughts. It was only due to her quick reflexes that Edith was able to dodge the extended blade. Thankfully for her, the blade ended up embedded in the branch where she had been laying only moments before. Rolling off of the branch, Edith latched onto a nearby tree as she watched her assailant yank their blade from the branch and come forth once more.

Thinking quickly, Edith transmuted her arm once more, this time turning it back into its usual prosthetic as she latched her wires into the canopy overhead and yanked herself out of their reach; where she then tucked herself away in a small nook amongst the branches there.

From her vantage point she was able to get a good view of her assailant who sat nestled behind the green foliage across the clearing. Their large hunched figure appeared rather masculine as they squatted on the branch. From between the dancing leaves Edith could see that he was adorned in dark colours that encompassed the majority of his figure in various items and accessories.

Even from here, Edith could tell that this man's gear was of a high quality, one that hadn't seen much action. So either they were some high-classed interior hitman or they had been paid high dollar beforehand and had spent it rather willy-nilly.

As the wind blew through, Edith was able to get a glimpse of a symbol that garnished the man's bare left shoulder; it almost seemed like a branding. Unbidden, the memory of a scantily dressed nun pacing back and forth in front of a blackboard sprung forth.

_**A young Edith sat in the middle of the pew, glancing around the room as her feet swung back and forth barely scraping the floor. She was just one of the many girls who sat squished along the pews of this old church as they listened to their daily lecture. Though she couldn't be sure if they were in fact girls, everyone else's faces were blurry and blank, like they were wearing masks.** _

_**She pulled at the collar of her habit, annoyed at the fact that they were forced to button it all the way up. It was hot here squashed amongst so many others in such a small space. She was just happy that the skirt of the dress had a large slit up either side of it; effectively turning it into a loincloth.** _

_**"...This" the faceless nun stated slamming the wooden metre ruler against the blackboard making Edith jump as the nun gestured to the diagram on the board "Is the symbol of the Spriggan"** _

_**It was an odd symbol, in comparison to the branding of a split apple that was depicted on the left breast of all Faeries (such as Edith herself); the one decorating the board showed a large circle with two curved hooks sprouting from the head on either side.** _

_**It reminded her a goat if she was honest. Edith fingered at her own branding above her heart as she tuned back into the lesson. "...Do not be fooled by their charming demeanours, they are ruthless creatures and should be killed on sight"** _

A growl pulled at Edith's lips as the two stared at each other like two predators encroaching on another's territory. Foliage rustled in the passing wind and metal glinted in the sunlight, for a moment the forest seemed to hold its breathe.

That was before the man-the Spriggan-lost his patience and launched himself from his hidden spot. Edith propelled herself forward, but instead of meeting him in the middle of the clearing like he had intended, she used the trees as a springboard and bounded in a circle around where he sat suspended.

Twisting and turning, she clung to the wire that was still embedded in the foliage above her as she moved around the Spriggan, making sure that her wire entangled itself in his own. Due to this, the man in question was stuck hanging from his wire like a unwound yo-yo.

Many of the well-aimed bullets ricocheted off of her prosthetic, whilst Edith was able to dodge the others as she closed in on him. Eventually the two were pressed chest to chest as she ran out of wire to wrap around him; at such a close range the gun was no use and was quickly tossed aside in favour of hand-to-hand.

Ignoring the hand around her neck, she reached up with sharpened metal fingers and sliced through the combined wires, letting the two drop to the ground far below. Edith was lucky enough to still have one working wire which she latched onto a nearby tree, slowing her descent.

But she did not come out of the skirmish unscathed, what remained of her shirt now hung limply on her frame where at this point it was nothing but rags. She had also gained several large scratches across her chest that were weeping blood and her Faery brand was on full display.

The Spriggan however, was not so lucky, he unravelled from the twisted wires like a yo-yo before he hit the ground with an almighty thud. In his case, he had lost many of the accessories that had adorned his upper arms and thighs, some falling off in his descent whilst others were torn off in their skirmish.

Edith watched with wide eyes from the lower branches of the tree as the Spriggan clapped his hands together and slapped them against his chest. In the moment before he hit the ground and become a broken pile, his skin turned a deep navy blue and he simply bounced and rolled a few times before coming to a stop, unharmed.

"Is that all you've got, you Faery bitch?" He called stumbling to his feet.

"Why don't you find out, Spriggan?" Edith sneered dropping from the tree and rising from her crouch as she faced down her assailant. She disengaged her ODM gear, knowing that it would hinder her in the battle that was about to commence.

They flew at each other, a mess of hits and kicks landing blows on each other that neither killed nor maimed the other, merely gauged where the other's talents lay in hand-to-hand combat. The violence picked up a notch as the Spriggan ended up latching a hand around Edith's neck and lifting her clear off the floor, mindless of her attempts to breathe.

"You're all talk" the Spriggan jeered bring her up to eye level. Edith didn't reply, merely clapped her hands and slapped them against his wrist giving him enough of a shock to let her go. "You're alkahestry's worth  _nothing_  when fighting me! Now it's  _my_  turn for fun!"

Edith rolled up onto the balls of her feet as she coughed and gasped for air. She knew that she couldn't lose this fight, not because he was a Spriggan (although for some reason that did factor in) but because she knew if she did, the others wouldn't stand a chance, not in the shape they were in.

Clapping her hands again, Edith made sure that her transmutation had reinforced her prosthetic before she aimed a punch at the oncoming hand, meeting him knuckle for knuckle. The resulting injury caused the Spriggan to back away, clutching to his hand.

"W-what? What the hell is this!" The Spriggan demanded inspecting his hand which no longer had the skin encasing it; all the muscles and nerves were on display, "What did you do to me, you little bitch?!" he demanded.

"No matter who or what you are everyone has it, no matter how much you might wish otherwise. Carbon's degree of hardness can be altered depending on the strength of its atomic bond. It can be the difference between a diamond and pencil lead" Edith smirked as she watched the Spriggan's navy skin reform over his hand. "Surely a Spriggan should know this?"

Edith leapt forward again this time, heading straight for the man's stomach. A clap of alkahestry to the stomach forced the skin to recede enough for her to land a punch on the exposed muscle there before she was shoved away.

Skidding to a stop and with sweat dripping from her brow Edith rose once more assessing her jeering opponent. "What a relief, I had feared this wouldn't be much fun! I feel better for gambling so much on you! Let's begin!" the Spriggan laughed as his skin regrew once more and he stood to his full height.

"Let's finish!" Edith cried transmuting her prosthetic into a lance, the blade reaching down to her knees as she took up a leapt into the fray once more.

They were a mess of limbs after that, each of them no longer playing with the other as they tried to find an opening that would end this once and for all. Edith had to give it to the man, he continued to taunt and jeer at her even while they fought, sure they were fighting for their lives but something could be said about this man's stamina.

Edith was lucky that a small opening showed itself as the man reared back to avoid roundhouse kick. Spinning on her heel quickly she used alkahestry to force the Spriggan's skin to recede again, leaving a large enough spot for her to attack.

She had been correct in her thinking when she had observed how quickly he was able to regrow the navy skin as she spun again to avoid another attack and lodged her lance though his chest, cutting through it like it was made of butter.

He sat on her lance arm for a moment or two, blood dribbling from his grinning mouth as he sat there like a shish kebab before Edith withdrew her arm and he collapsed to the floor at her feet. No one moved save for the heavy breathing from both parties. Edith knew that the wound she had given him wasn't fatal, but it was critical and if she left him here like this, he would undoubtably die.

"Who sent you?" Edith asked kicking the large man at her feet. She didn't receive any reply even as her foot met his injured side. Wanting to get this over with, Edith tried again. "Tell me, who sent you" Edith took his chin in her hands and yanked him up to eye level. "Tell me who sent you and I'll heal you"

"I ain't telling you shit, Faery cunt!" The Spriggan spat in her face and laughed as he watched the blood drip down her cheek.

"Then you're of no use to me, Spriggan scum" Edith calmly replied and moved to grip the man's head in her hands. With a quick twist and snap, the man fell lifeless in her hands before she let him drop to the floor at her feet.

She was soon joined by the others who landed quietly behind her. Levi was slung over Ryan's shoulders and Mikasa clung to the semi-conscious Eren who had woken earlier and had watched the fight play out through tired eyes. He'd never known Edith to be so violent, not even when watching her spar.

"...Did you know him?" Ryan asked quietly.

"No" Edith coldly replied turning to the others unbothered by her state of dress as she accepted the green cloak from Mikasa, "Let's go"

"But what about them?"

"Let them rot"

_**"Pro omnibus cura est, ibi sunt vias ad conteram quinque" (For every way to heal, there are five ways to break)- Medic Training: Unspoken Rules & Regulations, Lukas Norfolk** _


	31. The 57th Exterior Scouting Expedition: The Defeated

_“ **It’s hard to see how anyone else doesn’t think like you…Not when anyone ever talks about this kinda shit…different perspectives combined with bad communication often leads to shit hitting the fan…”-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850**_

**Spring 850**   
**Open Plains, Beyond Wall Rose**

The journey back to the Wall wasn’t as eventful as the ride out much to the relief of many. The troops had stopped for a break not far from the Walls when they met up with the other body recollection squads.

Edith let her gaze wander over the people around her as they moved body after body into the carts. There were few wounded this time, most of the others were killed instead. She couldn’t help but let her eyes rest on the pile where she knew the bodies of her squad lay.  _Why didn’t I help them? What’s the point of being a medic if you can’t help people? If you can’t keep them alive? Why didn’t I do more? I didn’t want a repeat of Maria! Anything but Maria!_

Sinking into her thoughts, Edith picked off the drying flakes of blood on her hands as she tried to furiously blink away the tears in her eyes. In the wagon bed behind to her, Eren gave a quiet grunt as he scrunched his face up, clearly having a nightmare whilst Mikasa hovered over him. The boy was lucky that Mikasa had an unwavering belief in him, otherwise he would have likely ended up dead or worse.

After her battle with the Spriggan, they had regrouped with the rest of the troops not too long after and their injuries had been seen to. Her burnt feet had been re-bandaged with some burn cream that Piper had had on hand (she was lucky Piper was always so paranoid) and the scratches across her chest had been seen to as well, hidden behind the gauze.

She had been instructed to take it easy on the ride back, the fight with the Titans and then with the Spriggan had exhausted her more than she liked to admit, so here she sat at the end of the wagon bed with her bandaged feet tucked up underneath her, watching the proceedings play out before her like a muffled and burry show.

* * *

Out across the field Levi knelt next to a line of bodies that had yet to loaded into the wagons and parted the bloody sheet covering one of them to reveal the wings of freedom badge emblazoned on their chest. He didn’t openly cry or mourn his fallen comrades, instead peeled the badge from Petra’s jacket and clutched it in his trembling hands. How could he leave them alone? It’s just like before, I left and they got killed. I shouldn’t have left. He mourned.

* * *

Over to the left, Armin and Jean placed yet another body on the pile in one of the wagons. “This is the part of our job I’ll never get used to” Jean commented wiping his hands on his pants as his gaze roved over the others around them.

“You’re not alone in that” Armin spoke softly.

“Seems like death’s just everywhere, all I can think about is how it will end. Which one of us is next and when will it be me?”

“Try not to obsess over it. Only thing that train of thought is good for, is breaking your nerve, believe me. Push it out of your mind”

“I suppose you’re right. Nah, I know you’re right”

* * *

Connie and Sasha stood next to their horses, tending to them as they rested for this short time. “So how much longer till our time is up, ya think?” Connie sulked staring at the ground, unable to look his comrade in the face.

“I-I dunno, we’ve made it this far” Sasha replied trying to keep upbeat.

“Yeah, luck of the draw”

“So what? We’re alive, be glad for it”

“Sorry, it’s kinda hard for me to celebrate around so many bodies…They’ll never see home again, why should we?”

* * *

Edith found that it was only through sheer force of will that she was able to stay awake, her exhausted form lay crumpled against a barrel of gunpowder in the wagon bed.

The day’s events had come crashing down on her not long before they had set off for the Walls and she had all but collapsed against Ryan who had come to see how she was doing.

Her head bobbed up and down as she fought to stay awake, despite knowing that she would feel better if she did & that she was no use to anyone like this. A deeply ingrained instinct told her she had to stay awake no matter what.

As it was, she was barely able to watch the next lot of events through tired eyes. Far off behind the ranks, a voice called out trying to get someone’s attention. “WAIT! HEAD’S UP! WE’VE GOT COMPANY!” the faint voice called steadily coming closer, “TITANS!”

At the rear of the troops and just in front of the Titans a pair of Scouts garbed in their fallen comrades rode furiously, trying to rejoin the others before they were eaten. “Is that…?” Norfolk muttered standing up in the wagon as saw who was approaching and sent up a red signal flare “That damn fool”

“ENEMIES SPOTTED AT THE REAR!” the message made its way up the ranks.

“FULL SPEED, ALL SOLDIERS!” Erwin ordered.

“Our best chance might be to circle back and make a beeline for the trees. We can’t put up much of a fight out here” Levi suggested.

“No, our best option now is to continue to the Wall”

“Tch” Levi fell back until he was in line with the body wagons. He was about to do one of the hardest things he had ever done.

“It’s about to be right on top of us!” Armin exclaimed looking back to see the Abnormal quickly approaching one of the wagons filled with bodies.

“Looks like we’ve got no choice but to fight!” cried Jean.

“Ground’s too flat to engage ODM gear and not only that we’ll soon be outnumbered” Abnormals from off to the left were coming into view, quickly gaining on the remaining Scouts.

“Ugh! Perfect! Then what do you suggest we do, genius?”

“The only thing we can” Armin stared pointedly at the body wagons and Jean’s eyes widen at the insinuation.

“It’s gaining on us!” Norfolk cried with his blades drawn as he and Dunbourgh stood guard.

“I’ll jump behind the bastard and distract him. Give you a chance to put some distance-” Dunbourgh started.

“Don’t bother” Levi cut in, pulling up alongside the wagon “You’ve got to get rid of the extra weight, dump the bodies”

“B-but sir…!” Dunbourgh protested in surprise.

“Do you know how many corpses you’ve already left behind? These aren’t special. Dump them. Consider it their last service to the cause”

“Are we doing this?” Norfolk cried, his usual calm composure gone out the window at the thought of letting his dead friends go “We can’t seriously be doing this!”

Dunbourgh appeared conflicted over what to do. Should he fight the Titans and probably die? Or should he release his dead comrades and have a chance at living? He grit his teeth in thought as he stared up at the oncoming Titans. “I’m sorry! There’s just no there way!” he cried before pulling the pin on the back wagon door and chucking the bodies out one at a time. “THAT’S IT! WE’RE LOSING ‘EM!”

It was to the sickening thump of bodies hitting the ground that Edith let the darkness envelop her, slipping away into gentle sleep.

* * *

_A young Eren readjusted the stack of kindling on his back as he and Mikasa meandered their way down the street.”You should let the Scout Regiment thing go” Mikasa spoke up._

_“Seriously?” Eren squeaked, “Why does everybody think they’re a joke?”_

_“What people think about them isn’t really the issue”_

_“Perfect timing! They’re back! We can make it if we hurry! Get a move on! I want a good view!” Eren exclaimed excitedly grabbing onto Mikasa and dragging her down to the main path that ran the length of the district as the bells tolled._

_Standing atop two wooden crates, Eren and Mikasa were just barely able to see over the heads of the adults that lined the path. His grin dropped as he watched the sad procession before him, instead of the enthusiastic soldiers that had left earlier that morning, they were all now garbed in their misery._

_The mutterings of the crowd built up the soundtrack to the macabre parade. “Sure taken a hit, haven’t they?” muttered one man._

_“Yeah or got eaten. That’s what happens when pride takes you outside the Walls” replied another._

_“Nothing like seeing our hard-earned taxes going towards keeping those bastards fat and happy, right?”_

_Enveloped in anger, Eren bent to retrieve the stick from the ground, intent on showing those men what he thought. But what use could a ten year old do against fully grown men? “Eren? What is it?” Mikasa asked as the ten year old Eren morphed into his present self._

_He clutched to the stick with a white-knuckled grip as he seethed, his anger roiling within him waiting to burst forth. “Talk to me” young Mikasa pleaded._

“Eren!” Mikasa called waking Eren from his dream; it took him a few moments to gain his bearings and figure out where he was. “Easy, try not to move just yet. You need rest” Mikasa whispered from his side as Eren slowly sat up, leaning against the front of the wagon.

“Where’s the Female Titan? What happened?” Eren worried.

“…She got away from us”

“What do you mean? She…she was…we were…but what about the mission?”

“It didn’t go as planned, but don’t worry about that right now”

“How’d I get here? Did you have to step in and save me again, is that it?”

From his right a small grunt was heard as the wagon went over a pothole. Eren’s attention was drawn to Edith who lay curled up by his side with her fist clenching tight to the cloak that lay over him like a blanket. Her legs were pulled up into her chest and her feet remained tucked away underneath cloak she wore and her head was tucked into her chest as if she were trying to hide away.

It seemed almost odd to compare this somewhat peaceful image of the small girl to the scary one in the forest who moved with calculating coldness and killed with deadly accuracy. Eren wasn’t sure if that had been a dream or not. He almost hoped it was.

“What happened to her?” Eren queried.

“There was a group of mercenaries that came after us, we think they were paid to kill you. Edith stopped them”

“That was real?”

“…Look, we’re almost home, okay?”

_**“…The casualties incurred during the Scout Regiment’s latest excursion beyond the Wall were profound. So much so that what little public favour they still held, was all but crushed…Within hours of their return, Erwin and the battle-worn survivors were called to the Capital…The Scouts custody of Eren was summarily revoked” -Exterior Expeditions: Useful or Wasteful?, The Daily Herald** _


	32. Assault on Stohess: Smile

_**"Some enemies begin as friends and some friends begin as enemies…Sometimes it's hard to watch"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Central Town Square, Stohess District**

A scarred nun stood on the edges of the square, listening the conversations around her as the morning sun rose steadily in the sky. It was always a good time to pick up interesting pieces of info at this point in the day, when barely anyone was out and people were looser with their tongues.

As it was, a few citizens occupied the central town square along with a follower of the False God (Wallists as the had so named themselves) was flapping his gums once more, using his influence to spout lies to those around him.

"…I heard the Titan kid and those big shot handlers of his were summoned to the Capital, which means they'll be passing through here today" Leonard (the baker's son) gossiped.

"Is that so? Well then maybe this time they'll just dissect him and get it over with" replied Charles (the banker's boy).

"I just hope he doesn't stir up any trouble, I say let him pass through and seal the gates shut behind him"

"Infidel!" the Wallist cried, dropping his bag to the ground and interjecting himself into the conversation and preaching to anyone who would listen. "To even  _suggest_  sealing the gate! THE HANDS OF HERETICS MUST NEVER TAINT THE SANCTITY OF OUR WALLS! MARIA! ROSE! SINA! TO EVEN THINK OF DEFILING THE THREE GODDESSES…!"

"Those lunatics all worship the Walls as if they were some kind of Gods" Charles muttered to Leonard as they watched the Wallist go off on a crowd nearby. The nun scoffed at that, the  _Walls_ were Gods? How stupid were they? It was obvious the Walls were tools of Ymir, the  _Goddess_  who kept us safe for over a century.

The nun let the Wallist's preachings turn to background noise, her smirk fell as she couldn't help but fall prey to her memories; one in particular that threatened to swallow her whole.

_**Winter 840** _   
_**Goddess Ymir Shrine, Shiganshina** _

_**The blonde nun knelt before the withered alter with her hands clasped in prayer. The wind roared around her, making the old exposed shrine creak and her skirts dance as she prayed. Scars of every shape and size plastered themselves along the nun's body; weaving themselves into intricate patterns along her skin.** _

_**The cold from the frosty ground she knelt on, bled through the layers of her brown skirt and she tucked her chin into her chest, trying to regain any sense of warmth she could. But it was no use, these habits (even the woollen ones) did little to keep out the chilling bite of Winter.** _

_**Her clasped hands grew tighter into a white-knuckled grip as she tried to ignore the thundering war cries of the men approaching on horseback. She smirked, those idiots wouldn't make it far into the forest before they had to dismount, for the trees were far too woven together here.** _

_**Self-righteous fury coursed through her veins as she thought about what she had done. She knew she couldn't hide what she had done from the Elders forever. She had done the unthinkable, altering a Herald's memories and turning them out. Breaking another Faery was grounds for exile, but breaking a Herald? Execution for sure.** _

_**But how could she not? She, a devoted sister of the Church of Faeries belonging to the Order of Ymir, had been a member far longer than that child had been alive and yet the Council never offered her the promotion of Herald.** _

_**And yet this child, who couldn't even scare a mouse, let alone kill someone had been offered the promotion of a Herald? This was the same child, mind you, that was knee-high to a grasshopper and barely spoke a word. She was barely out of infancy! How dare they insult her like that! Egotistical bastards, the lot of them!** _

_**Shaking herself from her thoughts, the nun blew into her hands, her breath seeping from between her fingers in small wispy clouds as she returned to her prayers. She had to finish, for here today, her faith was to be tested. There was no doubt about that.** _

_**With heart racing and teeth chattering, she spoke "In this place my Sisters watch over me" she whispered. A shout broke out close by, figures swathed in heavy cloth were glimpsed between the cracked pillars. "I am a weapon in service to the Goddess Ymir. Those who oppose me will know despair"** _

_**Her voice rose in tandem with the tension that blanketed the shrine, a buzzing tingle of anticipation in her cheekbones, a tightness in her throat, a sense of being stuck deep within herself and at the same time, watching the scene from above.** _

_**The first of the men broke cover, racing towards her. One man in particular was adorned with full beard and hard eyes beneath his helmet of iron. More crowded in behind him. The blonde nun rose to her feet and turned to watch the men ran towards her.** _

_**With hands still clasped in front of her she continued her prayer, her voice ringing clear out of the shrine's courtyard and all who occupied it. "I pray for the mighty Goddess Ymir to lend her strength, to guide me in my moment of strife. I pray for her to have mercy on our souls"** _

The blonde nun shook herself from her reverie, her attention no longer grasped by the old Wallist who screamed and shouted his preachings to anyone who would listen. It was true that they had gained favour with the public in the last few years, but she knew that it was all a ruse.

The desperate men had flocked to the religion that the False God preached-it was just like a man to place himself at the top of the pyre, least he be the last to burn. With those thoughts in mind, she turned from the square and returned to the church, intent on making it home before daily prayers.

**Spring 850**   
**Order of Ymir: Church of Faeries, Stohess District**

_**"It is important, when hunting a Faery, to ensure that you either bring an army of sufficient size or hope that the Spriggans hold you in their favour…if not, then pray that the Goddess Ymir has mercy on your soul" -Church of Spriggans: Faery Propaganda, Anonymous** _

Back at the monastery, the scarred nun slotted herself at the end of a pew between her fellow sisters who were knelt in the space between their seat and the pew in front of them. Their hands were clasped in front of them in prayer and their heads were bowed as they stayed still, waiting for the Matron to arrive and begin the daily prayers.

"Look whose finally here, you looked so carefree in the square that I didn't dare pull you from your musings. Probably should've, sorry" the brunette next to her teased as the blonde ignored her taunts and fell into position beside her.

"You've been pretty lax in your duties recently, Scar" added the shorter blonde to her right. Scar didn't deign to respond, merely closed her eyes as she leant her head on her clasped hands.

"Look Cage, you've upset her" the brunette teased.

"She's anti-social not upset" Cage replied shortly.

"Knock it off you guys" interjected a red head from the row behind them, "Let's see you hunt a lost Herald and live to tell about it"

"Ah! So you've got a crush on Scar, Cord? What could you possibly see in her?" laughed the brunette.

"I dunno, Thorn maybe it's because she got into the Church based solely on her skill, unlike some I could mention" retorted Cord.

"Oh? I don't know what you're implying, why don't you clarify"

"Oi! That's enough outta you two!" Cage scolded as the Matron (a short Oriental woman who was more terrifying than any Titan) marched up the aisle with sermon in hand. And so it was that Scar drifted off into her own world, the droning voice of Matron reading the daily prayers as her soundtrack.  _This was going to be a long day._

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Rose Bazaar, Stohess District**

The sun sat high in the sky by the time Scar and a few other of the older Sisters had donned their daywear habits and meandered their way through the bazaars, collecting the listed items as required. Scar heaved a sigh as she wove her way around a rotund man who was gesturing wildly as he stood in front of one of the stalls, haggling for a lower price.

She had to pick up her skirts a few times to avoid tripping on them or others tripping her up. Unlike the slitted skirt of their training habit, the daywear habit that each girl wore was vastly different in design. Instead of the high-collared turtleneck qipao, they wore long a-line skirts that brushed the ground as they walked and tight leather corsets under their blouses and vests. The only differences between them, was the shades of their skirts (dirt brown for Novice, moss green for Sister, blood red for Heralds and deep blue for Elders).

None of the girls wore a symbol of the Church, instead they were each branded with the image of a split apple on their left breast, above where thier hearts lay. As Sister Lance often said, they were to be seen but not seen. Show the people only what they expect, do not give them any reason to investigate the Church.

Unlike the group behind her, Scar purposefully made her way over to a fruit stall that sat off to the side and began to half-heartedly inspect the fruits on display much to the owner's chagrin. By that point, the other Sisters had caught up with her and were consulting the list they had been given as they stood in front of the stall a cart over from her. Almost instinctively, Scar let their conversation wash over her.

"Why would Matron need an urn, coal and a shovel?" Cord asked double checking the list to make sure that that is what it said.

"Don't ask, just buy" Cage responded handing over the exact change for the items listed and thanked the owner before they moved onto the next stall.

"Did ya hear about that sighting of the lost Herald?"

"You mean the one from a couple of days ago?" Scar tensed at the mention of the lost Herald, "It was probably just a rumour or something"

"Nah uh! I heard it from Nori, who heard it from Red who was sent on the hunt. Apparently the Herald took on four Spriggans and won!"

"No way!"

"Yes way! Apparently she used her skills granted to her as a Herald to take them down one by one"

"Oh! I would've  _killed_  to be able to see that! Can you  _imagine_  what that fight must've been like? A Herald against four Spriggans? That's the stuff of legends!"

"I know right! I wonder what it's like to be a Herald…Do you think they'll be able to catch her this time? Y'know bring her back to the Church?"

"I hope so! Can you imagine all those stories she has? Not to mention we could  _finally_  figure out what happened to her!"

"Y'know I heard that she's been hiding within the military as like a Scout or something. How ingenious is that?" Scar perked up at the admission, maybe she could still salvage her reputation and finally be rid of the Herald?

"Really? That's brilliant!"

"The closer you look, the less you actually see!"

"Ugh! Quit quoting Sister Hound to me!"

"Never!"

"…Do you think I could be a Herald?" Cage sighed dreamily.

"You? A Herald?" Cord laughed.

"But imagine the power I could wield! To break down walls, create cities from nothing, to move the very earth itself…"

"What about me?"

"Oh you'd be there too! After all a Herald is nothing without her Blade!"

Scar grit her teeth at the conversation behind her, the stall owner's protests quietened when they watched the girl in front of her dent the skin of the overripe watermelon in her hands with a glassy look in her eyes.

 _Why couldn't they just let that lost Herald thing go?_ She thought as her nails dug into the melon's skin.  _Why is she only resurfacing now? I spent so long trying to bury that incident, so why are they still hunting her? Was my devoted servitude not enough to placate the Goddess? Did I somehow anger her instead?_  Scar shifted on her feet as her thoughts took a turn,  _I mean not only did I cast out a Herald, I had the audacity to ask Ymir for power to fight the Spriggans! Oh Sina! What if this is my punishment?_

"Are you going to pay for that or what?" Cord asked appearing next to Scar and breaking her from her thoughts. Scar merely gave a strained smile to the ginger, handing over the correct change and bagged the needed fruits before turning to follow the others.

Her fake smile remained in place as she trailed after the pair, their conversation turning to useless things like fashion and love interests. _I can still do this! I can still make things right! Watch out Herald I'm gonna make you beg for sweet mercy!_  She thought her fake smile morphing into a smirk as the trio rejoined the other Sisters on their chore runs, melting back into the crowds as if they had never been there to begin with.

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Back Streets, Stohess District**

_**"Annie Leonhart was one of the few cadets from the 104th Cadet Corps that was accepted into the Military Police…However she was the only cadet to take that position, something that she did on her skills alone…She's going to be someone to watch…" -104th Cadet Corps Individual Reports: Annie Leonhart, Commandant Keith Shadis** _

Armin waited quietly in one of the side streets for Annie to arrive, hoping that she caught his signal earlier in the day. He tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps, forcing himself to not back away into the safety of the shadows behind him as the person approached.

Sure enough, Annie stood before him. Her gaze roved over his figure, making his shift under her stare. But it was understandable, he was standing in the shadows of a back alley dressed in the green rainwear of a cadet.

"Hello" he greeted much to her surprise, "So you're a fully fledged MP now?"

"Armin?" She breathed taking in his form and serious expression.

"Hm"

"So, uh, what's with the outfit?" she asked regaining her composure.

"Why I'm in the rain gear, you mean? It's a makeshift disguise needed to conceal my ODM rig, see?" Armin lifted the front of his rain coat to reveal his ODM gear hidden beneath, the only thing missing was his tan jacket which was probably tucked away in the pack he wore alone with some extra gas canisters.

"What's this about?" Annie asked.

"Annie, we have a plan for Eren to escape and we're hoping that you'll help us" Armin replied removing his hood.

"Wait, escape? To where? Stuck behind these Walls, where could you  _possibly_  hide that they couldn't find you?"

"We'll only need to hide him for a short while. This isn't a mutiny, we have every intention of returning! View this as a few loyal Scouts staging a small protest; it's stall tactic, we need time to gather enough evidence to overrun the Council's ruling about Eren. That's all we want"

"You're serious about this? How can you be sure the evidence even exists? And what is it?"

Armin looked down at his feet, unable to meet Annie's eyes as he continued. "…I-I can't say, I'm sorry"

"Sorry, Armin I'm going to have to decline. My lips are sealed though; best of luck" Annie sighed.

"Hold on!" Armin spoke up as Annie turned her back, "Annie please! They're going to kill Eren!" That stopped her in her tracks, "They'll kill him for no better reason than they fear what they don't understand.

They don't see that their fear is pushing humanity to the brink of extinction! Maybe it's too late to change their minds, but what if we can? We have no choice but to bet  _everything_  on that chance! I'm sorry, the last thing we want is to cause you grief. But, well, the only way to sneak him through the Wall's checkpoints is with the help of someone in the Military Police…It's out only hope"

"But why me? Do I really look like that good of a person to you?" Annie asked over her shoulder as she gripped tight to the rifle slung over her shoulder.

"A good person? I don't know, actually I've never placed much value in those sorts of labels" Armin bowed his head as he continued softly, "The way I see it, good is merely a word applied to people who are convenient to your needs in some way. It's purely subjective. Any way you try to look at it, labelling people dehumanises them. Regardless if you still choose to say no to this request, then at least in my eyes that makes you a  _bad_  person"

Annie didn't respond save for the look of shock on her face at Armin's admission. Instead she removed the rifle from her shoulder and silently fiddled with the rifle, flicking the safety on, making Armin suddenly fear for his life. Only instead of shooting him, Annie placed the unarmed firearm against the wall where it was still within reach. "Alright, let's go" she agreed sliding a silver band onto her index finger.

* * *

"We made it! Can't believe it was so easy!" Eren whispered. He and Mikasa (garbed in the same gear as Armin) had joined up with Armin and Annie a few streets over before they had snuck through the checkpoint.

"Hush" Mikasa scolded him.

"The Military Police hard at work" Eren continued, ignoring his sister in favour of complaining, "Surprised they bothered to show up at all"

"Let's just keep moving"

"Hopefully they haven't noticed my  _stand-in_  yet either. It's not gonna hold up under close scrutiny, after all Jean and I look nothing alike"

"It's close enough" Armin snapped, whispering quickly as he replied "You both have that same angry scowl and the same boulder-sized chip on your shoulder"

"Yeah! But I don't have his horse face!"

"Hey!" Annie interrupted "So if I had refused to help you guys out, what was your Plan B for getting over the Wall?"

"We would've used our ODM gear to barge right through the checkpoint" Armin replied.

"That's stupid! Why didn't you just avoid all this trouble in the first place? You could've escaped before reaching Stohess, right? I mean why wait till now?"

"I felt that this town's complex layout would allow us to squeeze a little more time out of our body double ploy. Of course, a head-on assault is ill-advised, so as long as the convoy acts like it's following orders everyone keeps their defences down"

"I see. It's very good plan" Mikasa and Eren shared a glance at the tone Annie used.

"Ah! There it is!" Armin exclaimed quietly as he made his way over to the entrance of a wooden stairwell that led underground.

"Here?" Annie questioned.

"Yeah, we'll pass through here. It's what remains of an underground city they were planning to build way back when and if I'm right, it should lead us to somewhere in the vicinity of the outer gate" He led Mikasa and Eren down the stairs without any complaints, but Annie remained on the street, not even daring to place her foot on the top step.

"Annie? What's the matter?" Eren called to her when he realised that she wasn't with them, "You're not afraid of dark, cramped spaces or anything, are you?"

"So what? So what if I am? I wouldn't expect a suicidal maniac like you to understand. You don't know what it's like to be an ordinary girl, to be filled with fear"

"A girl who can flip a full grown man upside down, has nothing to fear from the dark. Cut the crap and let's move!" Eren turned away, leading the others further into the dark.

"No. I refuse" Annie stated, halting the trio in their tracks. "I'm too afraid, above ground I'll help otherwise the deals off"

"Quit being stubborn, dammit! Just get the hell down here! Move! We're running outta time, alright!" Eren burst out, his temper getting the best of him.

"Stop shouting, someone will hear you!" Mikasa scolded.

"I'm sure it's fine Mikasa" Annie calmly interjected, "It seems that for whatever reason this place has been completely deserted" Unbeknownst to Annie, the quartet wasn't completely alone. Hidden atop roofs and behind crates lay hordes of Scouts, ready and waiting for the signal to attack. "That hurts me, it really does. The way you're looking at me now, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't trust me. Aye, Armin?"

Armin's hand shook as he clutched to the signal gun, a flare already loaded as he waited for the right time to fire it off. "Annie? Tell me, what were you doing with Marco's ODM gear?" he asked referring to the ODM assessment check that all the cadets had to do after the battle of Trost. "It had all the same dents and scrapes, I helped him with maintenance so I  _know_ you used it"

"Yes, I found it. Found it and took it" she replied.

"Then the two Titans we had in custody, it was you that killed them!"

"No one knows. But if you suspected something a month ago, why did you wait this long to say anything?"

"Because even now it's difficult. I just didn't want…didn't want to believe I was right, so I stayed quiet but then out in the field the fact that you didn't kill me right then and there, that's the moment that set us on this path to our current situation" Armin spoke tearfully.

"…Yes, we're here 'cause I let you live. Of course, I never dreamed you'd end up cornering me like this. Why? Why didn't I do anything then?"

"Annie! Please! You've taken this joke far enough, tell us this is some kind of horrible prank! It's not too late! C'me on, we'll understand!" Eren cried, unknowingly giving Annie an out. "Come down, let's talk! You can prove to us that we're mistaken by walking down these stairs! Prove we're wrong to accuse you!"

"We both know I can't" Annie replied somewhat sullenly, "Like I told you, I don't have the constitution for it"

"Annie! Stop! We're talking about a matter of life and death!"

"Work with us Annie! We can reason this out like human beings!" Armin added as Mikasa threw aside her cloak and drew a blade.

"Enough! I'm not listening to another word of this! No point, I'm going to carve you up again! Do you understand me, Titan?" Mikasa declared. Annie didn't reply at first before she suddenly burst out in belly-rumbling laughs, throwing her head back and swaying as she did so.

"Y'know Armin" Annie started, ultimately dropping her facade in the process, "It's nice that I can be a  _good person_  for you, for now at least. Looks like you've won your bet"

Down below Armin glared up at Annie, a multitude of emotions flashing across his face as her wicked grin fell on him. "But, I'm going to gamble to! And here's my wager!" She raised a single finger to her mouth and made to bite down at the same time that Armin quickly fired the red flare up the stairs.

The Scouts that had hidden themselves away, burst forth ready to restrain Annie before she had a chance to transform. They came at her from all angles, grabbing onto a limb and pulling it away from her face. She even had a gag placed in her mouth, stopping her from biting herself or others.

Mikasa had to block Eren from moving back up the staircase, planning to keep him safe despite whatever best intentions he might have. What they weren't prepared for was Annie's backup plan. With a quick flick of her fingers, a small sharp hook popped out from the ring she wore and she used to transform.

Mikasa, having seen what Annie had intended, grabbed both Eren and Armin by the scruff of their cloaks and dragged them further into the dark much to their chagrin. "What are you-?" Armin cried as he flew backwards down the stairs.

"It's too late!" she replied, trying to get as far away from Annie as possible.

All it took was a small slice of her thumb for Annie to transform, the light given off by the transformation towered over the district as it reached towards the heavens. The evacuees could see from miles away and it frightened them to their cores. The Female Titan had come to play.


	33. Assault on Stohess: Mercy

_**“Just because you don’t wanna believe the truth, doesn’t make it any less real…some people can hide their true natures so well…it makes it hard to trust [you] again…”-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Underground Staircase Entrance, Stohess District**

Eren stared up at the mouth of the stairs where Annie had stood only moments before, now it was encompassed by clouds of Titan steam and the fallen bodies of his comrades. Piles of dead Scouts were illuminated by the piercing jaundice light that struck the ground and reached for the heavens. It was undeniable now, Annie was the Female Titan.

_**Spring 850** _   
_**Mess Hall, Trost HQ** _

_**“Sorry to keep you waiting” Erwin apologised to Eren (who stood as the door opened, but did not salute) and Levi who had occupied the table closest to the door. The Scouts had taken up refuge in the Trost HQ after returning from their failed mission and having been summoned to the Capital. Trost was to be their rest stop for the night before they moved on through the other districts; it also gave them time to plan out their next steps.** _

_**“Sir!” Eren responded before turning to the other occupants who had filed in after the Commander. “What the…? Why…why are you all here?” Eren’s gaze wandered his fellow rookies that stood in line with Erwin. From left to right, they stood at attention with Ryan and Edith at the far end. Eren’s eyes moved next to Jean, then Mikasa, Armin and finally the Commander who responded to Eren’s queries.** _

_**“We believe we’ve uncovered the Female Titan’s true identity, she won’t slip away this time”** _

_**Taking a seat around the table, the group gathered around where a large map of the Stohess District now lay. Each person had a piece of paper containing notes from the pervious meeting between the five rookies and Erwin which discussed their theories and best course of action.** _

_**“The day after tomorrow we’ll be passing through Stohess District en route to the Capital, that’s when we’ll strike” Erwin explained, “It’ll be our first and only chance to do so; once we’ve set foot in the interior, the guards will assume custody of Eren and the Scouts authority to continue operations will be limited. Thus, unless we wish to conceive defeat we must flush out the enemy now” Erwin used the map in front of them to point out the path that had been circled in red.** _

_**“So here’s what we do: while in Stohess we use Eren as bait luring the target into this underground passage, the deeper the better. Get her well beneath street level, that done she should be easily immobilised even in Titan form. If she transforms before reaching the tunnel, well at that point she’ll be your responsibility, Eren”** _

_**“Uh, right” Eren agreed, “So we know she’ll be in Stohess? There’s no chance she’ll bolt before we get there?”** _

_**“No, she won’t risk going awol”** _

_**“Wait, you mean she’s…?”** _

_**“Armin here, identified her. She’s an MP, likely responsible for the death of Hanji’s test subjects and a fellow trainee in the 104th cadet corps”** _

_**“Wha-? You can’t be serious! I trained with her?!”** _

_**“I’m sorry, but yes, she’s one of us. Her name is Annie Leonhart”** _

_**“Annie? Where’s…where’s your proof? Your evidence? Tell me” Eren stuttered, struggling to understand what he had just been told. No wonder none of his classmates had looked him in the eye since the moment they stepped into the room.** _

_**“Well obviously the Female Titan knew what you looked like before she attacked, plus she reacted to my use of your ‘suicidal maniac’ nickname, something only our classmates would know. But the biggest reason I suspect her is that I have strong reason to believe that she’s the one who killed Sonny & Bean” Armin replied, presenting his evidence in an analytical fashion.** _

_**“You’re kinda going out on a limb there”** _

_**“Killing two Titans at once requires a precision ODM strike, it only makes sense that the killer used the gear they were most familiar with”** _

_**“But there was that whole equipment inspection, Annie’s totally checked out”** _

_**“Except the gear she presented, well it…it wasn’t hers, it was Marco’s”** _

_**“I don’t understand, what’s Marco got to do with all of this?”** _

_**“It’s unclear”** _

_**“Maybe you need to get your eyes checked!”** _

_**“Eren…I know what I saw! And the fact-!”** _

_**“Okay!” Levi interjected before the two could go off topic, “We get it. Do you having anything else on her? Some sort of concrete evidence?”** _

_**“No sir” Armin muttered.** _

_**“There’s the fact that she looks like the Female Titan, that’s something, isn’t it?” Mikasa piped up. Eren leapt to his feet, indignation written across his face as his temper got the best of him once again.** _

_**“Really? What the hell’s wrong with you? What kind of evidence is that?” he cried.** _

_**“So basically we’re going after her without proof” Levi summed up.** _

_**Edith’s head snapped up at the query, her wide-eyed gaze locking on Ryan’s matching one as a memory suddenly popped into mind. The duo hadn’t been there for the entirety of the previous meeting, having joined during the last half due to higher priorities and so the revelation of the Female Titan had come as a shock to the both of them.** _

_**“Well, I suppose there’s also…” Edith spoke up, but trailed off at the end.** _

_**“Holy shit, you don’t think…?” Ryan breathed.** _

_**“Maybe, but could she have…?” she replied, following along the same line of thinking despite their half-finished sentences.** _

_**“The signs…”** _

_**“Oh Sina!”** _

_**“Oi!” Levi whistled interrupting the odd conversation, “You brats mind filling us in?”** _

_**Edith turned to the others who sat around the table, now aware that they had gathered the attention of all present, including Captain Levi and Commander Erwin. She shared a glance with Ryan, searching his face for some kind of support as she worried her lower lip between her teeth. He gave her a small nod in reply.** _

_**“Back during Trost, before the Wall was plugged, I had to bandage Annie’s hands. It was nothing huge, just minor cuts along her palms from the ODM wires; more like rope burns really. The thing was, I also noticed that she had all these scars that covered her hands and her wrists.** _

_**They were old ones too, if I had to hazard a guess, the most recent one looked to be at least a week old. Which y’know wasn’t any cause for alarm, ‘cause everyone was cut up in some form or the other by that point, plus y’know, training injuries and all that. But then she started asking these questions that set me on edge. I told Ryan about it afterwards, ‘cause I needed a second opinion”** _

_**“Ed said they were the kind of questions that revolved around death and self-harm” Ryan continued, picking up where Edith had left off, “They were things like ‘How deep can you cut without killing someone?’ or ‘What’s the cleanest way to slice?’ Y’know, those kinda questions”** _

_**“We thought she was thinking suicide, so we reported it and had her put on suicide watch. But nothing really came of it” Edith continued. “I suppose in hindsight, all the signs were there, though”** _

_**“Maria’s tits! How did we miss that?” Ryan muttered running a hand over his face. Erwin hummed, digesting the new piece of information as Eren continued in his tirade, this time turning on the medics.** _

_**“You’re kidding me, right? This is insane!” he breathed “What if it’s not her? What if she’s not the monster you all say she is?”** _

_**“If it’s not her then she’ll be cleared, end of story” Mikasa piped up before either of the medics could respond.** _

_**“No one wants to condemn her prematurely, least of all me. But either we make a move on circumstantial evidence or sit back and let the central Government do what they like with you” Armin reasoned as well.** _

_**“Do you even hear yourselves? You’re talking about Annie…” Eren protested.** _

_**“Look Eren, you need to stop thinking with your heart and think with your head for once” Edith interjected folding her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly, “You’ve sparred with Annie more frequently than the rest of us. Think: were there any similarities between her and the Female Titan? Their fighting styles? The way they moved?” Eren grew silent and his eyes blew wide as images raced through his mind of Annie & the Female Titan overlapping in their movements. “It’s Annie, you know it is”** _

**Spring 850**   
**Underground Staircase, Stohess District**

The trio came to a halt some metres from the entrance and turned to face the damage that Annie had caused. Bodies lay piled around them, buried under the rubbles where they had been standing only moments before. “God…” Armin breathed surveying the damage as Mikasa hauled the two boys to their feet. Just in time too, as Annie slapped her Titan hand down on the tunnel, creating an opening so she could reached after them.

“Dammit!” Armin cursed as they ran, “That ring! She must’ve known I was lying to her from the very beginning! She knew we were leading her into a trap! I could’ve…I should’ve taken a different approach!”

“Save the ‘what ifs’ for after we’re out of this” Mikasa reprimanded him. “The question now, is what do we do next?”

“…Okay, first we rendezvous with Squad three and get the hell above ground. We fight her out in the open, that means we’re switching to Plan B. She’s all yours, Eren. Got it?”

“Yeah” Eren didn’t sound particularly confident though.

“OVER HERE!” called a Scout from Squad three, waving down the trio who were making their way through the tunnels.

“Squad three!” Armin exclaimed.

“Hey what happened? Is Plan A a no go?”

“Afraid so, yes. As of now we’re going with the backup option” Armin replied coming to a halt along with the others, not too far from Squad three. Which was just in their luck (Armin and co’s not Squad three) as the foot of the Female Titan stomped down on the tunnel crushing everything beneath it.

“She caved in the ceiling!” Armin breathed once the dust had cleared enough for them to see the damage. It was through the hole in the roof that they could see Annie peering down at them.

“We’ve gotta pull them outta there!” Eren cried, overrun with emotions.

“Eren, get back!” Mikasa grabbed a hold of Eren by the hood of his cloak and yanked him backwards, back the way they had came.

“What? No!” Eren protested.

“What was that? Does she not care if she kills you too?”

“She took a chance. It was risky, but she gambled on Eren being able to survive. We’re dealing with someone whose been backed into a corner” Armin analysed before taking off back up the stairs with the others following on his heels. “She’s desperate, that makes her all the more dangerous”

* * *

The trio huddled together off to the side of the path as they tried to rethink their plan. If they stayed any longer in here, they would be no more than rats trapped in a sinking ship. “Dammit! We’re cut off!” Armin swore, “If we try to get airborne with our ODM gear she swat us like flies and if we…”

He was soon cut off by a second hole being punctured in the tunnel roof a few meters to the left of them. “If we stay here, it’s only a matter of time before we’re crushed”

“I know what I have to do!” Eren stood up, “I’ll change, I’ll shield you guys just like that time with the canon fire!” Pulling his sudo siblings in close to him, he wrapped an arm around them whilst he bit down on the other. “Get in close! Alright brace yourselves!”

Blood flew but no Titan steam erupted from the tunnels. His eyes blew wide as he reapplied what was going on, “Oh no! Not again! Why now? We don’t have time for this! Dammit!” Eren dropped to his knees, failure and shame weighing on him as he bit down again on his bloody hand. It was like he was back in that bloody well again.

“Don’t try to force it, you need to have a clear objective in mind, like Hanji said” Armin instructed over Eren’s grunts and groans. He sounded more like a wild animal at this point. “C’me on, you can do this, we know you can!”

“Believe me, I’m trying!” Eren cried as he bit down harder on his hands, by this point he may as well just eat the offending hand; it’s not like it was going to make much difference.

“Really? Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts? Doubts about Annie? ” Mikasa stated as she knelt next to her brother and stared him in the eye. Eren couldn’t meet her glare, instead staring down at his bloody hands, “It’s her, the Female Titan. No matter how much you don’t wanna believe it, that won’t stop it from being true. What did we see? Back there, just now, she’s a murderer, period. This isn’t complicated”

“Get off my back dammit!” Eren cried in frustration, “I’m not stalling for time!”

“Dig deep, it’s Annie, you know it is and you know you have to fight. Unless…unless there’s something deeper, keeping you from it”

Eren stared at the ground as a memory popped into mind, it was simple thing, something that wouldn’t really stand out from the others. But maybe that was why it came to him in that moment with Mikasa hovering over him

_**Summer 848** _   
_**Bed Four, Bootcamp Med Bay** _

_**“So what’s going on between you two?” Edith smirked tending to Eren’s injuries for the umpteenth time that week. Annie had been kind enough to drop him off after the day’s hand-to-hand combat training.** _

_**“Going on? With who? What do you mean?” Eren questioned confused.** _

_**“Y’know, you and Annie” She finished tying the bandage and turned to put her tools away.** _

_**“What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense!”** _

_**“Annie and Eren sitting in a tree!” Edith childishly sang with a smirk, spinning around to see Eren’s reaction. The boy in question looked like a tomato, his cheeks were bright red, his jaw had dropped and his eyes had blown wide.** _

_**“Wha-!”** _

_**“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”** _

_**“Edith!”** _

_**“First comes love, then comes marriage!” She laughed, dodging his attempt to tackle her, spinning on her heel as she continued to tease the boy.** _

_**“Then comes the baby in the baby’s carriage!”** _

Armin drew his blades, snapping Eren from his thoughts and catching the attention of Mikasa. “I know what we have to do. Mikasa will head for that opening at the same time, I’ll make a run for the exit. I’m sure Annie will go for one of us. When she does, run in the other direction for all your worth” Armin ordered pulling his hood on.

“Are you outta your mind?! What fucking good is it going to do if one of you gets killed?” Eren demanded.

“If we stay here, all three of us will!” Armin snapped as Mikasa adorned her cloak once more, “Mikasa, you ready?”

“Yeah, good luck!” She called before they both went their separate ways.

“MIKASA! ARMIN! Don’t do this! I’M NOT WORHT IT! YOU HEAR ME! YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO!” Eren cried, only Mikasa stopped to reply.

“What choice do we have? The world is a cruel place; fight or die”

Eren grit his teeth as he clutched to his bleeding arm in frustration. Emotions and thoughts ran rampant through him, making him feel like his whole world was shaking. It was only when the roof above him crumbled that he realised it was. The roof caved in with a stomp of Annie’s foot, flattening everything beneath it.

* * *

Armin could only hope that Eren had survived. In the mean time, he and Mikasa emerged from their respective ends of the tunnel, launching themselves high in the sky so they could grab Annie’s attention. Mikasa came in hot, preparing to slice through her neck. Instead she was snatched from the sky but was lucky enough to slice through Annie’s hand before she could be squished.

“I won’t let you take him! Not this time!” she declared, squaring off against the Titan. She launched herself forward with a war cry, intent on reaching the nape and slicing the beast open. Instead she had to pull up, but still cutting deep along the right arm as she was thrown back down the street. Mikasa rolled and bounced a few times, coming to a stop where she lay in a groaning mess. There would be bruises for sure.

“DON’T LET HER GET AWAY! WE HAVE TO CONTAIN HER WHATEVER IT TAKES!” a Scout cried as he and his squad moved to intercept the beast before she got too far. She seemed to be making her way towards the Wall, for whatever reason they couldn’t fathom, but then again when has a Titan ever made sense?

“RIGHT, DON’T KILL HER! ORDERS SAY WE ONLY HAVE TO STOP HER!” came the call as the Scouts jetted towards the towering Female Titan. Even with all their little slingshot tricks and fancy manoeuvres, they were no match for the beast. She would simply swat them down or snatch them from the sky, their bodies collapsing lifelessly on buildings nearby.

“Dammit! It’s like she knows every move we’re gonna make in advance!” The squad captain cursed, yanking himself out of reach as another comrade was killed. Mikasa had pulled herself together by this point, coming in low and hot with eyes full of murder.

“TRY THAT WITH ME, I DARE YA!” Mikasa cried, slicing through the tendons across the back of each foot, sending Annie stumbling.

* * *

Across town, the convoy squad had finally taken notice of the destruction left behind by the Female Titan. “What the hell is going on?” Nile Doak breathed looking up at the smoke trail that towered over the buildings. “Escort squad, have a look! I’ll hold this position”

“Sir, yes sir!” replied Marlo as the squad jetted off to see what was going on.

“This is bad. What the fuck could be going on, this far in?” Doak muttered to himself, well aware of what shit storm this cold turn out to be.

“Nile! Deploy all troops immediately” Erwin ordered stepping out from his carriage with Levi (dress in civies) at his side. “We should assume that Titan is already appeared”

“Are you out of your mind?! This is Wall Sina! There’s no way a Titan would just suddenly show up here!” Nile protested.

The tension was suddenly cut by the sound of the other carriage door slamming open to reveal Jean, Eren’s body double. “Who told you, you could move, Jeager?” one of the MPs demanded trying to bar him from reaching his two commanding officers.

“How about this damn wig said I could, moron!” Jean cried yanking the wig from his head and tossing it aside, much to the surprise of the MPs around him. “Call me Jeager again and it’s your ass, got that?” He ran over to the Commander & Levi, standing at attention, ready to receive his next orders. “Commander, what’s the plan?”

“Ask Squad four for equipment” Erwin commanded as Jean donned his cloak.

“Sir!”

“Like the brass balls, but try not to swing them so hard they get you killed” Levi sassed.

“Sir!”

“Hold on! What. The. Hell?” Doak demanded.

“Commander! Here!” called the Squad four captain, alighting down by Jean so that he could retrieve and don the ODM gear.

“Well done” Erwin praised also donning the ODM gear.

“Thank you, sir”

“Wait just a damn minute!” Doak cried trying to regain control of the situation.

“Alright, all of you are with me” Erwin ordered, ignoring Doak as he did so. “We’re rendezvousing with the capture squad”

“No! The hell you will!” Doak barred Erwin’s exit, he and his men training rifles on the Scouts who remained in the street. “This is outright treason! I am well within my rights to shoot you where you stand”

“Think Nile, I find it hard to believe you’re actually as thickheaded as you look. You’re a hair trigger away from making the biggest mistake of your life” Levi threatened, annoyance seeping into his tone.

“Take off the gear before I shoot you!”

* * *

 

Jean wove through the streets, dodging crowds of panicked citizens left, right and centre as he made his way towards the others. He glanced up to the roofs where the MPs stood listlessly watching the horror unfold before them.  _Useless MP bastards!_  He thought dodging a weeping mother,  _Can’t believe there was a time I would’ve given my left arm to even be one of them! I don’t what the hell I was ever thinking!_

While Mikasa and the other Scouts were keeping Annie busy, Armin returned to the fallen tunnel, searching for Eren. “Eren! Hold on, I’m coming!” he called when he spotted Eren impaled on a wooden beam and hidden beneath a slab of concrete. “C’me on, stay with me!” He cursed himself as he tried to shift the rubble separating him from Eren, but was only able to tip over the smaller pieces due to his short stature.

“Eren! Talk to me! Wake up!” Armin begged.

“What the fuck’s going on?” Jean demanded landing next to Armin.

“Help me! He’s stuck in here!”

“W-why didn’t he just change into a Titan?”

“He couldn’t transform. I-I think there’s something holding him back from being able to take on Annie!”

“What?”

“We’ll worry about that when he’s safe. Help me…get him…out” Armin heaved pulling on the large piece of rubble laying on top of Eren.

“Eren…couldn’t do it?” Jean breathed before a look of anger and determination flashed across his face. He knelt down next to Armin as he tried to encourage the boy the only way he knew how; in his own special Jean way. “THAT’S IT! ENOUGH WITH YOUR BULLSHIT EREN! DID I OR DID I NOT TELL YOU, THIS DAY WOULD EVENTUALLY COME? Look at yourself…OUR FATE’S IN YOUR HANDS! WE’RE OUT THERE PUTTING OUR LIVES ON THE LINE AND THIS IS ALL WE CAN EXPECT FROM OUT LAST BEST HOPE?! IS THIS WHAT MARCO…what he…dammit!”

Their attempt at trying to rouse the boy didn’t seem to work, especially when they had to jump out of the way of the flying concrete slabs headed in their direction. Both Armin and Jean rolled to a stop out on the street, but Eren remained once again trapped underneath rubble.

“Eren…” Armin breathed looking down at his broken brother.

“Leave him, we can’t do anything unless we take care of her!” Jean reprimanded shooting off to deal with the Female Titan. Armin could only watch as Jean took off; taking a deep breath he turned back to Eren, hoping against hope that his next words would get through to him.

“Listen, I said something to Jean recently” He watched Eren’s eyes crack open as he spoke, “To rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. What we fight, we become; fight fire with fire. Look at her, Annie can do it, I don’t know why but there it is. YOU HAVE TO MATCH HER HEARTLESSNESS TO WIN!”

Armin then took off down the street towards where the Scouts were keeping the Female Titan busy. “ANNIE! ARE YOU GOING TO KILL ME OR NOT? I SEEM TO REMEMBER YOU MAKING A WAGER, WELL HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE GOOD ON THAT!” While Armin distracted Annie, a second Scout came down on her neck, however was blocked by not only her hand covering her nape, but also the crystallisation encasing it.

“ARMIN! FOLLOW MY LEAD!” Jean called as Armin finally took to the skies.

“GOT IT!”

The duo zipped down the streets, over broken structures and passed bloody buildings with Annie right on their tails. Just as they passed through a narrow bend in the street, wires (much like the ones from the Titan Forest) shot out from all directions, latching themselves onto any surface of the beast that they could find. When Annie eventually fell, a weaponised netting was even thrown overtop to ensure that there was no way she could escape again.

“Nice! And here I was thinking that having a Plan C was nothing short of paranoid!” Hanji chirped from up on one of the roofs, playing with the canon triggers. Hanji couldn’t help but taunt the Female Titan when she alighted down next to the beast, threatening her with a short blade held within a centimetre or two from her large blue eye. “Do us a favour and behave yourself. Oh and calling your cohorts to dinner isn’t an option, so let’s not waste that lovely singing voice. In fact, let’s not waste anything! No, no, I’m gonna read you like hunting trails. Every part of you has its own special story to tell”

Throughout this entire exchange, Edith sat perched on an outcropping that stuck out from the roof she was situated on. Her hands gripped tight to the hilts of her blades as she continued to watch through narrowed eyes, it couldn’t really have been that easy, could it? It really wasn’t. As soon as Hanji threatened to slice open Annie, her flailing limbs shot out, taking out all the wire canons that stood nearby. It was a wonder that so many people were able to get themselves out of harm’s way just in time.

“She broke free?!” Edith cried pitching forward slightly as the others joined her on the roofs.

“Dammit! We didn’t have time to set enough traps! DON’T LET HER GET AWAY!” Hanji cried as Annie bolted; still entangled in some of the canons. The squads were not too far behind.

* * *

Armin’s words ran through Eren’s mind on repeat like a broken record. Abandon your humanity and become the monster.  _Yeah, I…know_  Eren thought,  _That’s why…that’s why my comrades died…because I couldn’t let go! Eld, Petra, Oluo, Gunther…Mum! I swore to kill them all! EVERY LAST ONE! RIGHT OR WRONG, IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE! JUST KILL! CONSEQUENCES BE DAMNED! BECAUSE IT IS A CRUEL WORLD!_

* * *

The squads advancing on the Female Titan all came to a halt when the familiar Titan beam lit up the afternoon sky. Steam filled the narrow streets and windows were blown inwards as Eren’s Titan form stood tall. Threats of murder swum in his glowing green eyes as a roar ripped through the district, promising pain as Eren sprinted over to where Annie lay in a collapsed house.

Edith pulled up next to Armin who watched the proceedings through wide eyes. “Eren…” he breathed at the sudden appearance of his brother. Edith, on the other hand, was not so polite in her words as she watched the two Titans duke it out.

“Fucking  _finally!”_


	34. Assault on Stohess: Wall

**_"Rage is such an easy motivator…it's also very blinding…when you have nothing but your rage…it'll only take you so far, just watch how easily you'll burn out"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850**  
**Church of Faeries, Stohess District**

"Sisters, let us pray for the continued strength of Walls Maria, Rose and Sina!" The Matron declared, leading the prayer from upon the podium with her arms outstretched towards the heavens. The Sisters and Novices of the congregation joined in, their voices rose in tandem as they prayed.

"May they stand firm against the scourge! They are the evidence of the great force of the Goddess Ymir manifested before us! We give thanks to the Holy Mother, she whose love for us is the steadfast stone, whose wisdom is the mortar. She and she alone protects us from the scourge beyond the Walls in proportion to our worship! We pray for the mighty Goddess Ymir to lend us her strength, to guide us in our moment of strife! O mighty Ymir, have mercy on our souls!"

The prayer soon came to an abrupt close as the building around them collapsed inwards. The strength of the Titan spoke volumes as their foot was thrust through the reinforced wall of the Church; pieces of rubble flying everywhere with the force of it. Sisters left, right and centre were dropping like flies, their bodies squished beyond belief and unrecognisable under all the rubble.

"Holy Ymir…" Scar breathed staring wide-eyed up at the fighting Titans before her. It was her first time seeing a Titan up close; usually only the most skilled Sisters were allowed on hunts outside the Walls where the Titans lived. These children of Ymir, they were almost beautiful in their destruction; the legends did them no justice. She could only watch on in awe as the Female Titan rose to her feet and made a run for the Walls, the second Titan not too far behind.

It was only when she saw a flash of red amongst a flock of green, that she was broken from her reverie. Her narrowed eyes tracked the group as they followed after the two Titans, using the rooftops as their path.  _Hello, little Herald. We meet again._

 **Spring 850**  
**Rooftops, Stohess District**

Edith ran next to Armin and Jean as the squads trailed after the fighting Titans. Even from here, Edith could see how Annie easily wove her way through the streets, only ever destroying a building when she wanted to.

Eren on the other hand was driven by rage, one so overwhelming that he did not care if he destroyed an occupied home here or there. Did not care for the terrified fleeing citizens beneath his feet; no, his only thought was to kill Annie. To destroy her, to remove her from this Earth one way or the other. In his rage, he had almost transformed into the very Titans he hated with such a passion.

"Well, I dare say it looks like our boy's in control of himself this time" Hanji commented as they watched the pair pass by.

"Yeah, still though…" Armin worried, "There's still no guarantee that this won't turn out the same way as their last meeting"

"Come on, he wouldn't have transformed unless he knew for sure that he could take her this time. He's got this okay?" Jean retorted.

"I don't doubt that, but determination can't win a fight alone. You should know that better than anyone, Jean. It'll take more than that to beat Annie, a lot more" Armin replied.

"Dammit! She's making a break for level ground!" Edith cried as she saw where Annie was headed, straight through the central town square.

"So much for our gear! What now?" Jean asked.

"Split into two teams and go around!" Hanji ordered.

"Understood!" chorused the group as they split into two, flying off in different directions.

* * *

Eren sprinted through the streets, jumping over buildings or just busting right through them in his attempt to catch up to Annie. It was clear that Annie held the advantage over Eren; she had had several months to familiarise herself with the layout of Stohess as evident in the way she moved around the district. Eren on the other hand, could care less as he followed after Annie like a bloodhound on the trail.

It wasn't until Annie spun herself around in the middle of the square, using one hand to demolish one of the MP buildings that stood there. Eren narrowed his eyes as he glared at Annie, he could practically taste the smugness rolling off of her in waves. She hadn't needed to do that, but she had done because she wanted to.

 _Annie!_  Eren thought,  _Always so cynical, like every little thing around you was pointless. Nothing worth a second look._  Across from him, Annie fell back into the familiar fighting stance with hands raised above her head and feet spaced apart to brace herself or attack. Eren fell back into a poor imitation. _Every now and then though, I could see through the act._

Especially when you were showing off your fighting skills. Maybe hand-to-hand combat counted for shit against our final grade back at the Academy, but to you it was a different story all together. Yeah, about that much at least it was obvious you were a liar. Fighting's your whole world, but what exactly are you fighting for?! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN WORTH ALL THIS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION?!

Eren leapt at Annie with a mighty roar on his lips, she in return responded with a crystallised fist to the face. Using his large size, Eren grabbed a hold of her leg and launched her clean over the row of houses behind him; where she then crashed into the next row over. Cleverly, Annie used his blinding anger against him, waiting for him to approach before she leapt out of the way leaving Eren to run full force into the destroyed building she had just inhabited.

* * *

"Oh God! Sergent Hanji, I hate to say it, but the city will be debris and corpses before long. Even if we do manage to catch her" Moblit reported, standing on the outcropping next to the bell tower that overlooked the Titan fight.

"Then that's how it's going to be. We're sticking to Commander Erwin's plan, got it? So stop babbling and ready the nets" Hanji replied.

"Right"

* * *

"I-I didn't sign up for  _this!"_  Hitch stuttered as she watched the two Titans duke it out, "They…they didn't say there would be Titans fighting in the streets!"

"No kidding, this is insane!" Marlo replied.

Down below Doak still held Erwin and Levi at gunpoint, unwilling to believe their fellow soldiers. "We've got two of them hashing it out in the streets?!" Doak repeated.

"Yes sir, the city's collapsing like a house of cards. It's just…it's horrifying. We can only guess how many causalities" the reporting MP replied. Doak grit his teeth at the admission and retrained his rifle on Erwin.

"Erwin! Your arrogance has brought Hell right to our door!

"I know" Erwin stated, "I acted entirely on my own authority and I offer no excuses"

"You knew what this would do to us, you son of a bitch!" Doak grabbed Erwin by the front of his cloak, "You knew our lives would be damned! Why?!"

"For humanity, for victory"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Doak stepped back and pointed his rifle on Erwin once more, "You're nothing but a traitor! I'm going to kill you right here and now! None of the higher ups would fault me"

"Do as your conscious dictates, my post is yours. But the Female Titan must not escape. Deployment is through Piere and Vira is in command of provisions, work with them closely do whatever is required to ensure she doesn't escape"

"Wait! Shut up! Do you…really believe…this is for the good of us all?"

"I have faith it's a step forward"

Doak grit his teeth at the admission. There was no way he was going to take on Erwin's job as well as his own. Who would want to be in charge of those Scout brats anyway? No, it was better to have Erwin sort his own platoon out. "Everyone, lower your rifles" Doak ordered as he lowered his own. "Place this man under arrest"

"Sir!" chirped a MP.

"Deploy all troops immediately, as of now, focus on evacuation"

"Yes sir!" chorused all MPs present as they rushed to follow orders, all too happy to get off of the crumbling streets.

"Erwin, I hereby wash my hands of you and leave you to the High Court"

"I'll accept their judgement, thank you Nile. Levi, for now stay here. Pointless death wouldn't suit you" Erwin then turned to Levi, stopping him from following.

"No, I doubt it would anymore than it would suit anyone else" Levi agreed.

* * *

 _To rise above monsters, we have to become monsters and abandon our humanity._  Armin thought watching over the fight between the two Titans,  _What we fight, we become. Fight fire with fire._  In the street below, Eren was dealt a blow to the head via a crystallised shin sending him back up the street. It didn't keep him down for long though, Eren just got right back up and came at her again.  _Look at her, Annie can do it._

Edith threw up her hands to shield her face from the shockwave that rippled out from the force of Annie's kick with a gasp. She was happy that she had pulled her goggles on for this, it made it much easier to see what was happening and with all this debris flying around, it was unlikely that she would get blinded by it.

The force of Annie's kick had sent Eren tumbling into the building behind him, although not to be outdone, Eren bit down hard on Annie's crystallised shin. He sunk his teeth in and did not let go, even as Annie beat down on his head with her crystal fists. She only stopped beating him once he had dropped her leg from his jaw and sat seemingly defeated; before she rose and took off towards the Walls once more.

 _I will…kill them…every last one!_  With that thought in mind, Eren leapt to his feet and charged after Annie like a man possessed. "Holy shit…" Edith breathed as she watched a flaming Eren take off down the street with a ear-shattering roar. It was almost like his rage had manifested into the flames that licked at his body; however, instead of burning him, his wounds were healing-much in the same way the Titan steam did. Even with only one good arm and half of the other, he tackled Annie to the ground where the two struggled by the base of the Wall Rose.

* * *

"What is he…?" Hanji trailed as Mikasa finally rejoined them.

"Help him!" Mikasa cried making to move forward only to be barred by Hanji's blade.

"No. With the state he's in, it's probably best that we keep our distance" Mikasa could watch on as Eren took on Annie alone. Whatever power Eren had briefly awakened, was working in his favour, his limbs almost appeared to be made of molten lava and the screams coming out of Annie seemed to back up that fact.

Eren gripped Annie by the face and ripped away the section of crystal covering her nape, digging in deep around the muscle and tissue. With a scream of pain, Annie backhanded Eren into a row of buildings off to the side before she made a last-ditch attempt at escape.

With crystal-leadened fingers, the Female Titan hauled herself up the side of Wall Rose, intent on leaving Eren and the Scouts behind. "She's head up the Wall!" Jean exclaimed.

"She's trying to escape!" Hanji cried zipping forward to a rooftop situated closer to the fighting.

Thankfully, Annie didn't get very far up the Wall until Eren had jumped up and latched himself onto her legs. He bit down hard, tearing one clean off as Annie kicked him to the ground still clutching to her leg. She didn't even seem to register the missing limb as she continued to climb.

"No, no, no! We can't let her get away!" Armin cried watching Annie furiously crawl up the Wall as if she were a dying man. Which she was, in a sense.

"I won't let her!" Mikasa declared, shooting forward and sliced through both of Annie's hands, just below her crystallised fingers with a war cry. "It's over Annie, now fall"

No sooner had Annie hit the floor, than Eren was upon her once more. Blinded by rage, Eren landed punch after punch so hard that she was decapitated first and then her arms flew off next, landing on a bridge nearby.  _DIE…ALL OF YOU…EVERYONE…DIE!_  Eren thought as he cracked open his jaws and leant down to bite Annie.

"Oh no! He's going to devour her whole!" Hanji cried.

"HEY EREN! BACK OFF!" Jean cried.

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" Mikasa wailed.

"OI! GRUMPY! STOP IT!" Edith shouted as well, trying to get Eren to stop before he did something he'd regret. It didn't seem to matter though, as Eren continued on as if he hadn't heard them.

 _THIS IS…FREEDOM!_  A single tear escaped from the Female Titan as Eren ripped open the nape, baring the human Annie to the world. He went to bite down again, however something made him pause. Annie was crying. Hard, tough Annie who didn't give a shit about anyone but herself, was crying.

"What's he doing?" Hanji asked. She received no reply, however what happened next was a sight to behold. A pulsing blue light burst forth from Annie's Titan, pushing back the Scouts with the shockwave and caused Eren to rear back in surprise and pain and what she was doing to him.

"T-they're merging?" Armin stammered at the sight before him.

Edith could only watch with wide eyes at the situation before her. Not only was Eren's Titan fusing with Annie's carcass, a blue crystal (the same blue crystal that she used to cover her limbs in order to protect herself from the persistence Scouts) had formed over Annie, completely incasing her.

Edith grit her teeth against the sudden headache that formed as long lost memories of a similar substance flashed across her mind. Drawings of a red stone that held an ethereally glow to it even as only an image, muffled angry voices that shouted at each other, the feeling of simultaneously choking and breathing.

"STOP IT EREN!" Mikasa cried, pulling Edith from her thoughts as the girl alighted on the ground at the base of the Wall and tried making her way over to the pair. However, Levi got there first, slicing clean through Eren's nape and pulling him from his Titan.

"It's not a good idea to eat our key evidence, you idiot" Levi scolded the boy.

* * *

"Eren…" Mikasa whispered holding her brother close as he finally cracked open his eyes.

"Mikasa? Armin?" Eren muttered, his eyes roving over the two as he woke. "Is Annie…?"

Mikasa didn't reply, merely looked passed the MPs surrounding them, over to where the crystallised Annie now lay. Eren followed her gaze and watched the proceedings through tired eyes.  _Did he cause that?_

"Well, didn't see that coming" Edith muttered from off to the side, next to Ryan."Looks like she had something else hidden up her sleeve then"

"No shit" Ryan muttered as he watched Jean try to remove Annie from the crystal.

The girl in question, had enveloped herself in the blue crystal that she had used to protect herself in her Titan form, only this time it had incased her unconscious human form. And try as they might, it could not be penetrated, despite how hard they tried. Jean had gone through at least three blades, trying to hack and saw away at the crystal before he stopped, frustration evident in his expression.

"Dammit! All the shit we've been through and this is what we get?! Annie! Wake up! C'me on! Face the music, you owe us! Don't be a coward! I know you can hear me!" Jean cried, taking his frustration out on the crystal.

"That's enough" Levi intercepted placing a hand on Jean's shoulder, "It's over"

"Someone get me a wire net, this thing belongs deep underground!" Hanji commanded walking up next to Levi and Jean.

"Understood!" chorused a nearby squad.

 _What have we done?_  Hanji thought as she stared down at the crystal, _If we can't get any answers out of her then what was the point of all this? We're left with nothing but countless casualties, ruined lives and unanswered questions. All for what?_

Levi then made his way over to where Erwin and the MPs stood waiting in the side wings. "Well it was a valiant effort. Can't win 'em all though, right?" he commented.

"Right. At the very least, the Scout Regiment has been exonerated. Sure by the skin of its teeth, but still…"

"Let's hope the brass agrees"

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Rose Courthouse, Stohess District**

"Hey, you feel okay?" Mikasa asked her brother who lay in the bed before her. After the battle against Annie the day before, all the rookies had been rounded up and split into two groups. Armin, Jean, Mikasa, Eren and Ryan had been called back to the courthouse in Stohess to give their reports and assessments while the next step was sorted out. The other group of rookies had been herded towards an old military headquarters in their civilian clothes.

There was quite a few questions floating around, as they hadn't been told much, but few could gather that they were worried about other Titan shifters popping up. And seeing as two had appeared in the 104th cadet corps, then the chances were likely there was more in there.

The surviving medics had been split into groups as well, Edith staying with Hanji's squad to assist in the removal of Annie from the base of Rose; whilst Ryan had returned with the group to the Rose courthouse where he had tended to Eren's remaining injuries.

Once that was done, the small group of rookies at the courthouse remained in the side room where Eren lay. Ryan had then given his report first and then ridden out to join the other rookies in the Ehrmich HQ, dressed in his civies (plus the red cloth tied around his upper arm).

Meanwhile, the others who stayed behind at the Courthouse remained in the room with Eren, waiting for their turn to give their reports and debrief. Jean stood off in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Armin stood in the middle of the room, hovering slightly over Mikasa and Eren. In turn, Mikasa sat on the bench next to the bed in which Eren lay. They had all been stripped of their ODM gear, leaving them in only their civies.

"Yeah" Eren groaned as he slowly sat up with his back against the headboard, "In fact, it's weird how okay I feel. So is…Annie still stuck in that thing?"

"Uh huh" Mikasa replied.

"Yeah, you'd think after all we'd sacrificed Fate would cut us some slack" Jean added, gripping onto his forearms as he crossed his arms.

"It's humbling, knowing how far she'll go to keep her secrets" Armin commented.

"Humbling? More like infuriating"

"Why'd you let her go, Eren?" Eren turned towards Armin at that question, confusion written in his eyes. "You did, didn't you? You gave her an out"

"I know. I didn't mean to, I…I just couldn't help it. When I saw her face, I just froze"

"Armin Arlert and Jean Kirschstein, you two are up first" an MP stated from the doorway with a clipboard in his hands.

"Yes sir" Armin replied swiftly.

"Debriefing time" Jean muttered.

"See ya later I guess"

"Sure" Eren whispered as the pair quietly made their way out of the room. He waited until the two had left before he continued to talk, "Honestly, it felt kinda good…just letting go. My body, my mind, everything. For a minute it was almost…like I wanted to die"

"Eren! Stop it!" Mikasa cried, alarmed.

"Don't worry, I'm better now"

"I'm glad" Mikasa latched onto Eren, gripping him tight in a hug, "I'm glad you're alright" Eren sunk into the hug.

* * *

"I can't get my head wrapped around it, this whole 'fighting fire with fire' business. Is that really the only option we've got?" Jean asked as they walked toward the briefing room.

"Not necessarily, just the one that's presented itself and now we know Eren can do it"

"Yeah, well if it's that easy to turn us all into monsters, then maybe we don't deserve to win"

"No one ever promised us we come out of this unscathed"

_**"The Scout Regiment's recall to the Capital and Eren's incarceration were rescinded. Instead, they were charged with guarding Annie Leonhart in her holding cell, deep underground where they kept strict vigil day and night…Sadly, however it would take a far longer time and cost a great many more lives…for humanity to discover the true nature of what it held captive"- The Destruction of Stohess: Traitor amongst Military Police, The Daily Herald** _


	35. Aftermath:New Terrors Arise

_**"Why does the past always wanna pop up…and slap me across the face?…Why not have it written down all nice, neat and tidy?…Did I piss off a God[dess] in a past life or something?"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

_**"The Walls stood for a century, a bastion of peace and security. Gone was the terror of living at their mercy, mankind had acclimated to living like cattle…then the Titans breached what we had long taken for granted and the fight for humanity's survival had begun.** _

_**Death reigned claiming soldiers and civilians alike, the casualties were staggering, staggering too was the hard-won knowledge that the Titans were hiding among our own…Five years after the first Wall fell, we successfully captured one of these creatures alive, a fellow solider, Annie Leonhart.** _

_**And yet even as the smoke of battle cleared, the next threat was already close at hand. Despite the forces who had hidden the knowledge from all, what the Scouts found would change the tides forever…" -Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert** _

**Spring 850**   
**Wall Rose, Stohess District**

Mutterings of surprise rippled through the Scouts gathered at the base of Wall Rose as they stared up at the Wall with undisguised shock and horror. "Holy shit…" Edith breathed as she stared up at the cracked Wall, unable to move.

"Holy fuck! What is that?" Someone demanded pointing towards the portion of Wall that had fallen away to reveal a sleepy Titan within.

"It's a Titan!"

"In the Wall? Impossible!"

The mutterings of the stationary group had caught Hanji's attention and she ran over to see what was going on. It didn't take long for her to join her comrades in staring up at the Titan in the Wall with horrified eyes. "Captain, your orders?" Moblit asked.

"Uh, well, I'm not sure" She stammered.  _Is…is this just a coincidence? Or…oh no! Surely it doesn't mean…!_

Hanji was broken from her thoughts by the hand landing on her shoulder. She jumped at the sudden contact, spinning around to face the Wallist who stood panting next to her. He looked as if he had just run a marathon, he was panting so hard. Pastor Nick? Hanji thought, recognising the man.

"Listen to me…whatever else you do, DON'T LET SUNLIGHT TOUCH IT!"

* * *

_**"The Titans within the Walls remain shrouded in mystery. They appear to have created the Walls from a substance resembling that of the Female Titan's crystal…The clergymen of the Church of Walls seem to know more, but remain steadfast in their refusal to disclose any more information…" -Declassified Information: Titan Crystal, Zoe Hanji.** _

Following the words of the Wallist, they had for the time being, covered the Wall exposing the Titan with a patchwork of sheets and cloth. Further measure were to be taken after sundown, but for now it would do. In turn, the Military Police (or at least, those who had survived) were set to work cleaning the streets of every last corpse. There was a lot to do and very little time to do it.

Up on the Wall top, Edith stood off to the side, staring out over Stohess and taking in the destruction Annie and Eren had caused. So many dead, so much damage, for what? Annie to crystallise herself and find out that Titans were hidden inside the Walls? Well, she supposed at least something came from it.

Her gaze returned to the two stood at the edge of the Wall, overlooking Stohess. Her eyes narrowed at the man who sat huddled near the lip, he looked ready to fall down and she was all too happy to give him a push. Edith's thoughts were filled with hatred for this man, sure she had never met  _him_  personally before, at least as far as she could remember, but it had been a Wallist in the same uniform who had killed her mother, so for all she knew it could've been him. And so she felt that her hatred was justified.

She could never remember the man's name, but she knew that the snivelling, grovelling man before her was part of the same crowd and therefore deserved the same punishment as all the rest. She gripped tight to her folded arms as her thoughts ran wild in their hatred, her lips pulled back in a slight snarl.  _How dare they withhold information from us? How dare they think themselves better than us! Snivelling bastard can't even face what he has done! All he needs is a little push, just one little push and let him fall down, down, down! Let him join the others, may his soul rot in Hell!_

"Alright, you wanna tell me what's going on?" Hanji calmly demanded answers from the pastor, pulling Edith from her thoughts. "Why a Titan? What's the purpose? What on earth's the point of having one hidden inside the Wall? And you chose to keep it a secret! I need answers and I'm gonna need them right now!" Hanji waited for the priest to finish praying before he rose to his feet and turned on the Scout.

He made to speak to Hanji, but his gaze caught the furious scowl of Edith behind her. If looks could kill, he would have been six feet under. However, that's not what caught his attention. The sheerness of her shirt allowed for the hazy image of her branding to be seen through it, especially now since she had shed her cloak.

Nick grew pale-faced and took a step or two back before his face screwed up in anger and he began to shout, pointing at the rookie. "INFIDEL! HEATHEN! YOU DARE BESMIRCH THE HOLY GIFT OF THE WALLS?! HOW DARE YOU?!" He roared. Hanji turned in confusion towards the furious rookie at which he was pointing.

"Oi, Edith! Get over here!" she ordered and so it was the Edith reluctantly made her way over to the pair with Moblit on her heels. Hanji made to speak again, but Nick cut over her in his anger.

"HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE THE MIGHTY GIFT OF THE DIVINE ARCHITECT?! REMOVE YOURSELF AT ONCE, YOU DIRTY HEATHEN! RETURN TO THE HELL FROM WHICH YOU CRAWLED, HELL SPAWN!" Nick thundered with spit flying and gesturing to the brand now clearly seen though her shirt.

Like many of the Rookies, Edith had shed her tan jacket earlier in the day leaving her in a tan blouse and ODM gear, under the guise of answering the summons to the Capital and the possibility of being a witness at Eren's trial. The shirt she wore however, was made of a somewhat sheer material which meant her Faery brand could be seen through the hazy material. Not that that was intentional, it just happened to be one of Edith's only clean shirts left; it was one of her best shirts after all.

Edith merely crossed her arms tightly over her chest and pulled her lips back in a snarl. The growl that sounded from the back of her throat and peeled through her lips seemed to frighten the older man as he took a step back from the Scouts, trembling slightly as shuffled ever closer to the edge. The animalistic reply that Edith had given appeared to have surprised both Hanji and Moblit who jolted and stared open-mouthed at her respectively.

"I don't have time for this nonsense, I'm a busy man. My flock has been devastated, I demand restitution! Do you know who I am? Let me down from here this instant!" Pastor Nick demanded trying to regain control of the situation as teetered dangerously on the edge.

"Careful Pastor, it would be… _terrible_  if something were to happen to you" Edith spat venomously. Hanji and Moblit shared a glance at the rookie's comment, before silently deciding to put a pin in it for now.

"If that's what you want" Hanji leapt forward, gripping tight to Nick's habit, dangling him out over the edge of the Wall. The only thing that kept him safe was Hanji's tight grip. "Will straight down do the trick?" Hanji tried to ignore the way that Edith's eyes lit up at the idea of dropping the Pastor over the edge of the Wall, there was some serious feud between those two and she was going to find out what.

"Captain!" Moblit protested, used to Hanji's eccentric nature but not to this extent. The other Scouts that occupied the Wall top all leapt to their feet, afraid of what Hanji might do. Sure the guy was a grade A asshole, but did he really need to be dropped from Wall?

"Hold!" Hanji ordered the Scouts, still holding Nick out over the precept "Let me ask you something, do you have  _any_  concept of how many Scouts have laid down their lives fighting these monsters? MORE THAN YOU CAN COUNT! THEY DIED FIGHTING FOR YOUR FREEDOM! I WAS WITH THEM, I WAS WILLING TO LAY DOWN MY OWN LIFE! Now you can explain or you can take the plunge, your choice. I can always move on to the next blowhard, matter of fact they probably know more than you anyway, why am I bothering?"

"Let…me go! Unhand me!"

"That's kinda what I had in mind"

"Do it!"

"Don't try to call my bluff"

"Please don't!" Moblit cried.

"YOU THINK I'M AFRAID TO DIE IN THE SERVICE, FOR MY BELIEF? WE FULFIL OUR DUTY WHATEVER THE COST! I DON'T CARE!" Nick let go of Hanji's wrist, spreading his arms wide, "THE LORD IS MY SHEPARD! LET HIS LOYAL SERVANT FALL!…God…grant release" Nick preached. Hanji didn't move for a moment, her eyes narrowed as she tightened her grip on the Pastor.

"Fine, have it your way" she spoke calmly, releasing her hold on him. He fell parallel down the Wall, his cries of terror filling the air despite his earlier words.

"Captain!" Moblit practically wailed running to the edge of the Wall and looked down to see the Pastor falling end over end as passed the cloth-covered Titan.

 _There he goes!_  Edith thought happily,  _Good riddance!_

"Edith, fetch" Hanji ordered with her arms crossed as she stared down at the falling man after having waited for a few moments. The somewhat disturbing look of pure joy that had inhabited Edith's face soon gave way to the scowl she had worn before. The rookie bit her lip as she ignored the order, a tenseness forming in her shoulders as she watched the Wallist fall towards his death.

"Brown, go" Hanji repeated much to Edith's disgust. She balled her hands into white-knuckled fists as she fought to keep the snarl off of her lips.  _Let the bastard die, there's plenty more_. She thought venomously, trying to ignore the heated gaze directed at her. Eventually, she gave way under Hanji's stare and stepped off of the Wall with a low growl.

She didn't bother to use her ODM gear as she fell. Just as she passed the cloth-covered Titan, Edith pushed off of the Wall and flipped herself over so that she was falling head first, hatred-filled thoughts of just letting the Wallist fall crossed her mind, but she knew that she would probably be charged with treason or severely punished for disobeying a direct order.

Eventually coming within reach of the flailing man, she gripped tight to the collar of his habit despite his struggling protests. "Let me go, you heathen! You uncultured swine! The Lord has opened his arms to me!" he cried.

"Careful Pastor, a fall from this height wouldn't kill you. But it would cause severe pain, one so agonising that you're practically begging for death" Edith threatened, her voice sickly sweet. Thankfully the Pastor seemed to take the hint and kept blissfully quiet.

By this point, the pair had come level with the rooftops of the remaining bell towers and thinking quickly, Edith turned so that she now faced the Wall. Trusting her aim, Edith shot her wires as far as they would go, latching them into the lip of the Wall. She tightened her grip on Nick's collar as her wires pulled taut, launching the two back up the Wall. Edith tried to fight the smirk that grew on her lips at the startled yelp that escaped from Nick's mouth as they were yanked back upwards, using the recoil of the wires to return to others.

Once they had reached the top of the Wall once more, Edith ever so gracefully shoved Pastor Nick to the floor at Hanji's feet, where he lay with ashen face in a shaking, panting mess. It seemed all his screams of terror had worn him out. "Come on Pastor Nick, spill it" Hanji ordered, her tone going dark as she stood over the once proud man. "Are all the Walls made of Titans? Please tell me that much"

When she received no reply, Hanji turned with a sigh and sat down with her legs hanging over the edge of the Wall.

"Captain?" Moblit asked softly.

"Ugh! When was the last time I felt like this?" she questioned, talking more to herself than Moblit, "Wow, it must've been when I stepped outside the Walls for the first time. Talk about terrifying" Moblit went to say something, what he wasn't sure, something comforting perhaps? Instead, the sound of the bells tolling rang throughout the deserted city. But there were no Scouts on an expedition at that moment, which left only one option behind. It could only mean one thing, Titans were inside Wall Rose.

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Rose Courthouse, Stohess District**

Edith stood in the Rose courthouse courtyard absentmindedly swinging her ODM blade around as she took out her frustrations on the invisible targets around her. Thankfully, the courtyard (that was formed by the spare space between the adjoining buildings) was free, leaving her to do as she pleased. Someone would pass along the passageways above her from time to time, but she paid them no notice.

After the Titan alarm had sounded not too long ago, Edith had been escorted by Neil Williams back to the courthouse to give her report and receive her debrief. But now that that was done, she had plenty of time to fill and so much anger and frustration to get rid of. There was already a couple of holes here and there in the stone pillars that lined the courtyard from where she had just been so angry that she had landed a punch on the concrete, looking for some sort of release.

And did it help, kinda. But tearing apart imaginary Wallists? What wonders that did for the mind! With sweat on her brow and chest heaving, she swung harder, thrusting the blade deep in the belly of the imaginary opponent, narrowly missing the pillar next to her. Despite what she hoped, she knew that Hanji would want to know what her deal with the Wallist was; she just wasn't sure if she wanted to open that can of worms just yet. However, it looked like she might have to.

Edith spun around again, her blade held in front of her defensively as someone cleared their throat behind her. It was only when she realised that it was a withered old lady that she dropped her blade. For some reason had this feeling that she knew this old woman, or her face at least. Maybe she had seen her at the bazaar or something? Was she a merchant, maybe?

The woman before her wore her greying hair in loose bun atop her head, and her sharp eyes pierced out from underneath bushy brows. Taking in her appearance, she seemed to be drowning in her clothes; the long deep blue skirt she wore dragged against the ground as she moved and the brown leather vest she wore atop a pale blouse, paired with the tattered leather satchel slung over her shoulder depicted her as an interior civilian. But what was she doing in the courthouse?

"Oh, sorry Ma'am" Edith apologised, well aware that she probably looked a right mess.

"You're a medic, dear?" the old woman croaked, gesturing to the red cloth still tied around her upper arm.

"Uh, yes Ma'am"

"Could you help me, please? My shoulder's been giving me trouble lately, and I was hoping you could do something"

"Uh, sure. Let me see what I can do" She led the old woman over to a bench that sat underneath one of the many torches within an alcove. Here, they were out of the way and allowed Edith to proceed without any worry for being seen, should she need to have the old woman remove an item of clothing.

Whilst the old woman perched on one end of the bench, Edith practically straddled the other, trying to get as close to the old woman as possible so she could tend to her shoulder without the old woman feeling uncomfortable. "Just here?" Edith asked tilting her own head as she prodded the space between the shoulder and neck.

"A little lower" the old woman replied, slowly pulling her hand out of the bag at her hip.

"Here?" Edith tilted her own head a little more, unknowingly baring more of her neck to the woman who sat poised like a snake, waiting to strike.

"Perfect" the old woman purred, quickly slamming the syringe in her hand down on Edith's neck and injecting her with the glittery red substance that lay within.

Edith fell away from the woman with a yelp, clutching to the side of her neck where the syringe had been injected. "W-what did you do to me?" Edith demanded, her words slurring as she toppled to the side. The woman was quicker than she appeared, as she caught Edith before she hit the ground and laid her down on the bench. Whatever had been in the syringe had hit her quickly, Edith's vision grew fuzzy, her limbs weak and her tongue heavy; there was nothing she could do as the wily old woman continued in her ministrations.

The top buttons of her shirt were undone and a small folded piece of paper was tucked into the top of her bra, where it sat nestled between her breasts waiting to be read. Buttoning the shirt back up, the old woman knelt down so that her mouth was brushing Edith's ear, "Find the path and find your truth. Praise Ymir" she spoke, her voice turning sickly sweet with the smugness that filled her tone. It was through a darkening gaze that Edith watched the old woman rise and retreat from the courtyard, leaving Edith to slip into unconsciousness as if she had never been there at all.

* * *

When Edith next woke it was to a blinding migraine and foggy memories. Hauling herself upright with a groan, she held her aching head in her hands for a moment, taking deep breaths to ease the tension in her head. She stared unblinking down at her chest, feeling something uncomfortable hidden there; reaching down her shirt and between her breasts, she pulled out a small folded piece of paper. Unfolding the crips white piece of paper, she saw that it only held a single message, printed there in neat handwriting.

_Prove Yourself_   
_-S.H._

A jolt of pain ran through her head, making her clutch at it and grit her teeth in pain as she screwed her eyes shut. When she felt like her head and stomach had settled enough for her to move, she glanced around at her surroundings to see that she was hidden away in one of the alcoves that lines the courtyard at the Rose courthouse. She could tell it was Rose by all the ornamental roses and roses bushes that lined the place, lit up by the setting sun. Tacky much?

Taking a deep breath, Edith stood with a groan and after collecting her ODM gear, slowly made her way back to the room where she had been told the Armin, Eren, Mikasa and Jean were waiting for the time being.

Thankfully when she found the room, the only occupants were fast asleep. Mikasa had taken the bench next to the bed and was clasping tightly to the old red scarf in her hands, whilst Eren was laid out in the bed in the right-hand corner. The blue chaise that sat against the far wall was blissfully free, which Edith happily claimed.

She was barely conscious as she toed off her boots and grabbed the spare blanket that lay on the end of the bed; turning to the chaise, she practically fell face-first as she tucked herself underneath the woollen blanket and hoped that the darkness created by hiding under the blanket and the nap would allow her to be rid of this terrible migraine.

* * *

_Blue skies soared high above the district as a Summer's breeze blew lazily through the streets. "Ugh, Eren! Another fight? Really?" his mother scolded as she went about hanging the washing on the line. A young Eren sat off to the side with a dark bruise forming on his cheek and a pout stuck on his face as he turned away from his mother._

_"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who started it this time! Those jerks were making fun of me!" Eren defended as a young Mikasa joined the pair._

_"Of course, did Mikasa come to your rescue again?" his mother drawled as Mikasa offered her help. "Thank you, dear"_

_"Eren, we don't throw punches at everyone whose mean to us" his mother scolded, scrubbing at the dirt that sat on his cheeks, "Being an adult means learning how to pick your battles. You want them to think that you're strong? Exercise restraint, try protecting Mikasa once and a while"_

When Eren next woke, it was to a breeze drifting in through the open window. Righting himself with a groan, Eren glanced over to the side where he saw Mikasa hunched over on the bench next to him as she dozed. The red scarf that he had given her all those years ago, sat clutched in her lap, keeping her warm.

As he watched over her, he couldn't help but think about his mother's words from the dream.  _"Exercise restraint, try protecting Mikasa for once"_  Eren's gaze then drifted to the chaise behind her, where Edith now lay fast asleep with the spare blanket falling off of her and onto the ground.

Without thinking too much about it, he rose from the bed, stretching out his limbs as he did so and tip-toed over to where Edith lay, intending to pull the blanket back up over her. When he saw that her face twisted and scrunched up in pain as if she were having a nightmare, he instinctively pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, tucking her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Memories of his mother doing the same for him and Mikasa when they were younger flitted through his mind as he stood once more. Eren watched as her face smoothed out, whatever she had been dreaming about seemingly gone as she snuggled deeper into the blanket tucked under her chin. Eren's thoughts drifted as he watched Edith sleep, and as creepy as it sounded, was completely innocent in its intentions. He couldn't help but fall back into the moments where he had interacted with Edith.

They hadn't known each other well in the beginning, barely interacting with each other at Bootcamp, aside from his almost constant trips to the infirmary. But slowly over time, they had developed a sort of sibling relationship, one that he now relished.  _She's almost like the older sister I never wanted_. He thought as he remembered the days after the fall of Trost where they would make sure the other ate their meals; she had gone so far as to shove a roll in his mouth at one point, much like Mikasa had done when they had first arrived as refugees. Even to this day he would adamantly refuse to acknowledge that he had teared up at the action and the memory behind it.

There had also been the time where Edith had joined Squad Levi on a patrol, under the impression of collecting some medicinal herbs when they stopped for a break. And he in turn, was supposed to be practising control over his Titan. In the end, all that ended up happening was both he and Edith falling asleep underneath one of the large trees that had lined the area. Levi had been so irritated, it had almost been funny.

But the memory that stood out the most to him was the time he had been seated on one of the beds in the infirmary at the Old Scout HQ.

_**Spring 850** _   
_**Infirmary, Old Scout HQ** _

_**Eren's hands were healing slowly after the latest experiment with his Titan, but he was still waiting for his hands to be bandaged. The other medics were all down in the mess hall for lunch, leaving Edith to man the station. He could only watched through gritted teeth as the irate Scout who had called her away, ridiculed her treatment of him.** _

_**"…This is absolute bullshit! You said that these stitches would hold!" the Scout exclaimed loudly gesturing wildly to the bloody shirt he wore; it was clear that the previous stitches he was referring to had split open. Thankfully, Edith had been able to patch the man up when he had come hurrying in, but now he was just being an ass.** _

_**Edith breathed though her nose as she tried to keep her temper in check. Pissy patients would drive anyone up the wall. "I said that the stitches would hold, BUT you shouldn't perform any strenuous activities in the mean time, while you healed" she explained with a fake smile plastered to her face.** _

_**"What are you trying to say? Huh? That I did this to myself? Maybe you're just shit at your job!" The man seemed to pick up steam, cutting over any attempts Edith made to reply, "Enjoy it while it lasts, I'm gonna make sure you never so much as touch a needle again!" he declared before turning on his heel and leaving the room.** _

_**Edith let out a harsh breath before returning to Eren with a roll of gauze in her hands and began bandaging his own. She worked in silence for a few moments, the previous situation clearly taking its toll on her by the way her shoulders remained tensed as she worked.** _

_**Eren felt this overwhelming need to protect Edith, to track that Scout down and teach him what it meant to insult a medic, his big sister. That thought made him pause, Wait, when did he start thinking of her as his sister? It wasn't that he minded of course, it was just unexpected.** _

_**"Hey, Edith?" Eren asked softly staring down at their hands as she worked.** _

_**"Hm?" she questioned.** _

_**"Are you okay? That guy…" Her hands paused in their movements as she heaved a sigh.** _

_**"…It's fine, all part of the job, y'know"** _

_**"But he yelled at you…"** _

_**"Yeah, I know" Her hands resumed tying off the ends of the gauze, tucking them away, "I suppose their are some days when you're taking their blood pressure and you want to keep squeezing and squeezing until their step eyes pop out of their stupid heads!"** _

_**She had picked up steam as she ranted, ending with a glint in her eye that she usually only got when she talked about alchemy or during training. The morbid comment had startled a laugh out of him at the thought, as he pictured the Scout's eyes popping like tiny balloons.** _

A soft thump sounded behind Eren, making him turn. The scarf that Mikasa had held had slipped onto the floor when she shifted. He bent to retrieve it as he remembered the first time he had given her that scarf. "Oh" Mikasa breathed when she turned and saw Eren standing in the middle of the room.

"It fell. Here" he stated, holding out the scarf to her which she thankfully took from him. "Get some sleep, you've gotta be tired"

"No, I'm okay" she replied softly, folding the scarf back up.

"That thing's seen better days"

"Mm"

"I'll grab you a new one, if I can find any with the supplies"

* * *

_Images flashed in front of Edith's eyes too fast to see, but she was still able to catch glimpses of things here and there as they passed. A nun in front of a blackboard, rows upon rows of girls in varying colours of brown, green and red skirts, large fish tanks hidden beneath a secret trap door, an image of a red glittering stone, a cavern completely engulfed in glistening blue crystal; even the bazaars of Shiganshina._

_There was a particular emphasis on the images containing the crystal catacombs, the red stone and the Shiganshina bazaars. Those memories seemed to be set on repeat, looping over and over again._

_The odd thing was that despite these looping memories, there was no noise. Nothing from the chirping birds that nested in the gutters along the Shiganshina bazaars, nor the echoing of her footsteps in the large catacombs. Not even the sound of bubbles escaping her mouth as she sat floating in the large tank at the end of the row, shrouded slightly in darkness._

_No, wait. That was a lie. There was a noise, just two words that had been stuck on repeat. "Prove yourself" It almost seemed like the words were merging together, making them sound unreal and alien._

_Suddenly everything stopped. No more flashing images, no more looping mantras. All was quiet in the black. Edith let out a breath of relief at the sudden peace, intending to slip further into sleep. However her plans were thwarted when a small white figure appeared across from her. In the darkness, it stood out like a sore thumb, the whiteness of their figure illuminating everything around them._

_Slowly the figure raised its head, seemingly staring at her despite the featureless face it wore. A creepy grin spread from ear to ear, giving her the chills. Without warning, the figure launched themselves at Edith, jumping across the large space in a matter of seconds, and wrapped their one flesh-coloured hand and one blinding white hand around her head._

_"REMEMBER YOUR TRUTH!" the figure cried, gripping tight as a blinding pain lit up Edith's head. It felt like she was on fire and drowning in ice all at once. A guttural scream ripped itself out of her throat as a wall she didn't know she had inside her head, broke. And then all at once, she remembered._

Edith jolted upright with a heaving chest and sweat on her brow as the door to the room burst open, revealing Armin. "EREN! MIKASA! EDITH! THEY'VE BROKEN THROUGH WALL ROSE! THE TITANS THEY'RE COMING!"


	36. Aftermath: Beast Titan

_**"When in times of stress, you wish for the boring days of normalcy, but in days of normalcy you wish for the days of stress…can't always get what you want, I guess…bloody catch 22"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Military Headquarters, Ehrmich District**

**12 Hours Earlier**

The rookies sat gathered around the tables in the mess hall, where they had effectively been quarantined while the older Scouts sorted something out. Whatever it was, they hadn't been allowed to know. Boredom was written across each and every face there, some had fallen back on children's games like  _'Chopsticks'_  or ' _I Spy'_. Some had even gone so far as to take a nap where they sat.

"Y'know my village happens to be just a little further south from where we are now" Connie sighed with his head in his hand.

"Huh, town where I come from is pretty close by too" Sasha added, mirroring Connie's position on the other side of the table as the two stared out of the large window next to them.

"Yeah, mine too" Ryan added, not looking up from the knitting in his hands. Reiner had given him a bit of flak about it when he had begun, pulling the ball of multicoloured yarn and needles from the pack at his hips.

'Course as time drew on and the boredom grew, it suddenly seemed like a good idea.  _Take that Reiner!_  Ryan sneered, glancing around at the people surrounding him as he worked. The table where Ryan sat was occupied by Sasha and Connie to the left of him, who stared out the window with twin looks of boredom on their faces. To his right, sat Bertolt and Reiner who had somehow managed to find a chess board and were having a game. Despite Bertolt's best efforts, Reiner seemed to be winning though.

The other tables around the mess hall were occupied by the other rookies, each trying to find something to keep their minds occupied as they continued to wait for…whatever it was.

 _It's odd seeing everyone out of uniform._  Ryan thought as he moved onto the next row of his soon-to-be woollen buff. The order to dress in civies had been an interesting thing though. For what reason would they need to change out of their uniforms?

"…Why can't I go see my people?" Connie sighed "Maybe I'll just sneak out after dark"

"My people told me not bother coming back till I'm normal so there's that…" Sasha replied.

"Hm. Well, folks where I'm from always told me I was too puny to be a soldier. No question if I had the brains for it, I was top ten in my class actually. Someone's going to be eating their words, I promise"

"What about you, Ryan? What's your village like?" Sasha asked, turning to the blonde.

"Hm? Oh, it's a little village east of here" Ryan replied, "It's mostly wine and sheep country out there"

"Seriously? That must've been fun as a kid"

"Oh yeah, nothing like corralling drunk sheep away from the vines"

"Bet you can hold your drink pretty well, then" Connie laughed.

"Eh, pretty well. You should see Edith, though. She can drink just about anyone under the table. I think she cheats with the alkahestry thing, either that or she's got a ridiculously fast metabolism" Ryan ignored the way Reiner shifted at that comment. His ass probably just fell asleep or something.

"Oh I kinda wanna see that, now" Sasha added.

"How about when we get back, yeah?"

"I'm gonna hold ya to that!"

"Connie, I'll help ya if you really wanna go" Reiner piped up after there was a lapse in the conversation.

"Yeah? Why would you?" Connie asked.

"Doesn't this feel a bit strange? We're on standby in our civies, won't let us where our uniforms, can't even train" Reiner rose to look out the window at the few Scouts who were still garbed in their uniforms, monitoring the area. "What's even more suspicious our superiors are armed to the teeth, we're inside the Wall not at the frontline. So who exactly are we fighting?"

"…I dunno man, maybe they're just worried about bears" Connie sighed.

"Sure, bears" Sasha repeated.

"All you need for bears are guns" Reiner replied sitting back down in his seat.

The boredom seemed to get to Sasha as she groaned and slammed her head down on the table. She stayed like that for a moment or two, before she jumped upright, now wide awake as she turned to report what she had heard to the others in the room. "Uh, guys? I think I'm hearing footsteps!" she cried, wide eyed.

"What?" Ryan asked, finally looking up from his knitting. It was almost done by now, just need to finish off the last row.

"Knock it off, Sasha" Reiner replied, "So what? You're trying to tell us that Titans are here? C'me on that wold only be possible if Wall Rose had fallen"

"Look! I'm not pulling your leg! I hear something!" Sasha cried leaping to her feet.

Just then, the large window next to her burst open to reveal Nanaba who sat perched in the window frame. "Is everyone here?" she asked.

"What is it Nanaba?" Krista asked from the back of the room.

"We've got company, approximately 500 metres from the south and closing in. Titans, headed this way. There's no time to suit up in your ODM gear, I want everyone on a horse stat. Evacuate every home and settlement in the area. Get to it!"

"The south? But that's…" Connie breathed.

"Do we know if the Wall's really been breached?" Reiner whispered to Bertolt who gave him no answer.

"I'm sorry, but lunch is going to have to wait!" With that Nanaba returned to her post on the rooftops overlooking the fields.

* * *

Ryan had quickly tied off the end of his buff and shoved on around his neck, using it as a scarf for the time being. Once all horses had been readied and mounted, the rookies set out to evacuate the surrounding villages and settlements.

"The second the Titans reach the woods, we'll split up. I want four separate teams, rookies and vets alike in each unit. When I give the signal, we'll scatter in different directions simultaneously. Get the word out to civilians, do not engage the enemy" Mike ordered "Which of you is most familiar with the area?"

"Uh, me" Sasha raised her hand as she answered, "My hometown is just to the north of here, I know this region like the back of my hand. Ryan too"

"My village's just east of here, I know the way" Ryan continued, picking up from where Sasha left off. "Connie too, he's from the south, right? Connie?"

Connie didn't reply, his face remained frozen in an expression of fear as his thought ran rampant. "What's wrong?" Sasha prompted.

"My village…my village is to the south, that's where the Titans are coming from. I can lead you to nearby settlements, but afterwards let me go home. Please" said Connie.

"Very well, gather the southern team and then go to your village" Mike ordered

"Yes, sir"

"I'll come with you" Reiner stated, pulling up alongside Connie.

"What? No, you're crazy! They'll be everywhere!"

"You think I care? I was gonna help you get home anyway, wasn't I? What about you? You coming?" Reiner turned to Bertolt.

"…Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world" Bertolt replied after a pause.

"As you have guessed, today marks the darkest hour in humanity's history. Look sharp, if ever we needed to give our all, the time is now. Don't lose heart!" Nanaba preached.

"They've reached the woods! The enemy is on top of us!" the call came from the back of the group. Ryan peeked over his shoulder at that. His eyes blew wide at the number of Titans that were meandering their way through the woods.

"Scatter, now! Ride for everything you're worth!" Mike ordered upon seeing the approaching Titans.

As soon as the Titans were free of the woods however, they began to sprint towards the fleeing Scouts. "No! They're coming at us full tilt!" Mike cursed.

"Holy shit!" Connie swore, saying what everyone seemed to be thinking.

"GANDER! TAKE CHARGE OF THE SOUTHERN TEAM!" Mike ordered as he rode off towards the oncoming Titans, intent on lessening their numbers.

"Sir?" Gander questioned, "Uh, understood"

"Tell me he's not using himself as bait!" someone cried.

"I'll go with him! I can help" another added.

"Stay where you are, we can't spare anymore soldiers. Give him some credit, that man's skills are second only to Captain Levi, he'll make it back alive. You can count on it"

* * *

Mike's blades began to dull at the repetitive action of slicing through nape after nape of the horde of Titans he had taken head on.  _Only four of them left._  He thought glancing around at the Titans who remained wandering around the small area below where he had stopped.  _No, don't risk it. I've bought us more than enough time._

He sheathed his blades once more and whistled for his horse to return.  _Still though, that Abnormal worries me._  He turned to look at the hairy Titan shuffling off to the side.  _Look at the bastard, easily over 17 meters tall, massive. And this is the first time I've seen one covered in what? Fur? It's just lumbering around, why doesn't it try to rush me? It's definitely an Abnormal but…"_

The whinny of his horse, ripped through his thoughts, signalling its approach.  _Ah, there you are. Looks like I won't have to hold out for sundown after all._  Just as his horse passed by the Abnormal, its hand reached out and plucked his horse from the ground.  _What the? It went for the horse?!_

"Ugh! Come on!" Mike cursed, drawing his blade and readying himself to fight once more. He had to quickly dodge his own horse as the Abnormal launched it in his direction as if he were a pitcher. Roof tiles flew as Mike rolled down the roof and into the arms of another Titan. Try as he might, he couldn't release himself in time; agony ripped through his body as the Titan gnawed on his legs.

"Wait!" came a rough and garbled voice, halting the Titan in its attempt to eat him. Mike looked up with fear and disbelief in his eyes as the Abnormal squatted down next to them. "You must not of heard me, I told you to wait" the Abnormal spoke again, popping the head of the Titan like a pimple and letting Mika fall to a heap on the floor.

"May I ask what you call that strange weapon of yours?" the beast asked, "That thing attached to your waist that allows you to fly" Mike couldn't respond, too choked up on fear and shock to get any words out passed his lips. "Ah, I'm pretty certain we speak the same language, perhaps you're too frightened to formulate a response? I notice you also use swords. Fascinating, must mean you know we reside in the nape. Ah well, I suppose I'll just take it back with me"

Mike hunched himself over in fear, gripping tight to his head as he cowered before the Titan who would kill him. But that did not happen, instead the beast pinched the engine of the ODM gear from his waist and rose to his feet, leaving the man alone and at the mercy of the remaining Titans.


	37. Aftermath: I'm Home

_**"…Everyone's got a sob story, some are worse than others…but that doesn't give you the right to discredit it…nor do I ever want to always hear about it…We get it, your family was killed, you wanna destroy the Titans, you wanna see beyond the Walls…They're almost cookie cutter in their 'unique' sob stories"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Eastbourne Village, Yalkell District**

Ryan rode due east alongside one of his superiors, Mary Cooper, as they headed towards his village; the other members of the squad having split off once they reached different settlements along the way. "Up ahead, you see? That's the village" He pointed out as the golden brown rooftops dotted amongst the vines came into view. Even from here they could see Titans lumbering around the village.

"Where you're from?" Mary asked.

"Yeah"

"Is there anywhere else that the people might go? Somewhere to hide in case of an emergency?"

"There's this old bunker underneath the ruins of the Quakers Asylum; they might've gone there"

"And where would that be?"

"This way"

* * *

It didn't take long for the pair to arrive at the ruins of the asylum, the building having been situated on the outskirts of the village when it was first constructed. Ryan ended up taking point as he led the way through the old rubble; his horse picking its way over mossy fallen stones.

They eventually made their way to the centre of the ruins where the courtyard would've been. Dismounting from their horses, the two set to work looking for the entrance after Ryan had described what the entrance would look like. As they looked, Ryan couldn't help but reminisce on the last time he had been in the village, almost five years ago.

 _**Autumn 845** _  
_**Eastbourne Village, Yalkell District** _

_**"Maria's tits! Again with this?" Ryan's father, John, demanded upon finding his youngest son drunk behind the barn, "Ryan! You can't always be chugging this stuff down! Give it here! That batch is going to the Capital!" John tried to snatch the cask of wine out of his son's hand, but the boy's drunken attempts to dissuade him, pushed the wine further out of reach.** _

_**"You little shit! Show some restraint!" John cursed as he watched Ryan defiantly chugged down another mouthful of wine. The boy was definitely drunk by now, and tomorrow's hangover was going to hit him like an anvil to the head.** _

_**"…Ryan" John sighed as he leant against the fence with his arms crossed, "Look around you, ever wonder how things got to be the way they are? Why the valley life is disappearing? Why the crops don't grow so good anymore? Or doesn't it concern you?"** _

_**"Sure it does, people are strolling in here and helping themselves to our things. It's why Frankie and Gideon had to go off and join the military, why James knocked up that bimbo down the street"** _

_**"Yeah, that's true on the face of it. But where else do you expect people to go when they lose their homes? They gotta right to live, don't they?"** _

_**"But our families have been here for generations, what gives them the right to barge in and take what's rightfully ours?"** _

_**"They lost their homes 'cause of Titans, those beasts kicked a whole straight through Wall Maria. Where else were people gonna go? The Capital? Their graves? Look Ryan, it wasn't their choice, they had to survive somehow. So they cleared the back vineyards and used it for farmland"** _

_**John sighed, running a hand down his face as he stared off into the distance, his gaze roving over the remaining vineyards that glistened in the evening sun. "Maybe it's time for us to let go, surrender the old ways" Ryan let out a gasp at the admission and tried to push himself upright as indignation flashed across his face.** _

_**"We're not gonna starve, government's willing to pay us, y'know" John continued arms crossed as he refused to meet Ryan's drunken eyes. "We'll expand the mutton and wool business, make money off of that"** _

_**"What! If we turn our back on our wine culture, we turn our backs to who we are! All those traditions and customs, gone! Down the drain! Don't you care about that! Who cares about the people who steal from us?! What use are they in the grand scheme of things?!" Ryan exploded.** _

_**"I'll tell you why" John returned his gaze to Ryan, his expression full of calm fury, "We're in this together, the world belongs to everyone, each and every one of us. We're human; humans are social creatures. It's all fine and good to move to the beat of your own drum, but when land is scarce, you gotta fall in step with the flock. Think about the greater good"** _

_**"No! Fuck that! I won't do it! Why should I fall in step and forget about everything we've worked so hard to achieve?! Everything our ancestors worked so hard for?! Screw the greater good, what about us? Don't you care about that?!"** _

_**John looked down at his furious son whose cheeks burned bright red (from his anger or the alcohol, John wasn't sure) and beady eyes glared up at with as he clutched tight to the rather empty bottle in his hands, where some of the liquid had splashed out as he gestured.** _

_**"Right then, if that's how you really feel, seek out a living in these valleys amongst the sheep; live by the old ways like the others. But I'll tell you something, you better be willing to die by the old ways too. Cause make no mistake, Ryan, trouble is gonna come knocking on our door, whether you like it or not and when it does, there'll be no help from the people you turned your back on.** _

_**If it means the difference between being a part of something larger than myself and scraping by on my own, I say screw tradition and let's move on. What about you? Are you brave enough to take the plunge? Trade the rolling valleys of your ancestors for a share in civilisation? Or are our fellow people just not worth the hassle?"** _

"Here!" Mary called off to his left, pulling Ryan from his thoughts. Leaving his horse to graze amongst the fallen stones, he scrambled over the rubble, making his way over to the Scout where she stood. In front her stood the statue of a woman draped in flowing cloth and clutching to a pitchfork in one hand and a bouquet of wheat and flowers in the other. The tall woman towered over the two, especially from upon the pedestal upon which she stood.

It was Demeter, the village's patron saint and one of the only statues still standing amongst the rubble. Supposedly the asylum had placed it here in the early days to bring comfort to the patients and workers, as well as a place of worship; however the upkeep of the place had fallen to ruin not too long after.

"Here, gimme a hand" Ryan stated as he picked his way over to the base of the statue with Mary hot on his heels. As one, the two pushed and heaved with all the strength they had, pushing the stone statue as far as it would go. Eventually they were able to push the statue over far enough to reveal the path down into the dark cavernous tunnel that was forged through the mountainside.

Ryan then stepped over the threshold, only going so far into the darkness before he raised his index and pointer fingers to his lips and let out a high pitched whistle that bounced off of the walls around him and down into the darkness. There was a beat of silence as nothing happened; behind him Mary shifted on her feet, glancing over her shoulder at their surroundings as the pair waited for a response of some kind.

A sharp whistle bounced back through the tunnel, only just reaching their ears. Despite what Mary might've thought about the varying tones in the whistles, Ryan knew this code; he'd been taught it at a young age and had grown up on it. This time he responded to the questioning whistle with one that rose and dropped in pitch several times before trailing to an end.

"Now what?" Mary asked as a thunder of hoofbeats began to grow ever closer, the lit torches that the group carried, bouncing off of their faces and making the shadows dance as they moved. Ryan moved back out into the sunlight, pulling Mary off to the side as the group emerged from the darkness, blinking rapidly at the sudden light.

 _To an outsider it must be a bit of an odd sight_ , Ryan supposed as he looked upon the small group of villagers that were all seated atop Hugo Andersson's herd of reindeer as they trickled out into the light. "Ryan!" called a familiar voice, grabbing Ryan's attention.

"Jim!" Ryan smiled, moving forth to hug his elder brother who dismounted from the reindeer, leaving his air-headed wife clutching tightly to the reins. "It's good to see you!"

"You too, squirt!" Jim replied locking Ryan in a headlock as he ruffled his hair, only to be playfully shoved away.

"Is this everyone?" Mary asked as she moved through the group of people milling about, as she tried to avoid getting trampled beneath the reindeer.

"I think so" Ryan replied, looking around before turning back to his brother, "Where's Pa and the others?"

"They went to sell the wares at the festival in Orvud" James replied, "They left a few days ago"

"Good"

"Okay, good. We can get a move on then" Mary nodded, as the two Scouts remounted their horses. Everything seemed to be going well enough until a panicked wail sounded from across the clearing.

"WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE MY BABIES?!" a woman cried, frantically searching the group for her children.

"What is it? What's going on?" Mary asked approaching the woman.

"I CAN'T FIND THEM! I CAN'T FIND MY SONS!" the hysterical mother replied gripping tight to Mary's shoulders, shaking the Scout slightly as tears streamed down her face.

"Did you stop anywhere on the way here?" Ryan asked James as the group watched on.

"No, when Titans appeared, we came straight here" James replied.

"That means they're still in the village, aren't they?"

"Yeah, probably"

Ryan grit his teeth and clenched his hands around his reins as he thought about what to do. With mind made up, Ryan pulled away from the group and raced back towards the village as if the devil was on his heels. "OI RYAN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" James called as he watched his brother race away.

"DON'T WORRY, I'LL BE BACK!" Ryan called over his shoulder as he continued on.

* * *

 _How long has it been? An hour? Surely they'd have the sense to hide themselves by now?_  Ryan thought as he rode down the beaten path that wove around the mountainside, a track of Titan prints leading inwards catching his attention.  _Impossible! Could they really have come this way? That does it! This place isn't safe anymore!_

Eventually, the mountain path led down into the valley where the village centre lay. It was hard work, trying to search for the two boys and avoiding the Titans that lumbered around. Thankfully, the Titans seemed to be preoccupied with the back fields where the graveyard and probably a few fresh corpses lay.

_**"In addition to the cities at the Walls, there exists villages of various sizes contained within the Walls…They exist to provide goods and food to the people in the cities, though containing a higher population overall"- Information for Public Disclosure: Scattered Villages** _

It was the sound of a wailing babe that brought Ryan over to the small lean-to that jutted out from the side of the black smith's. And so it was with fear pumping through his veins, that with a war cry that he slammed a flaming poker through the neck of the two metre Titan crouched over the pair.

It didn't seem to affect the Titan much, merely slowed it down enough for Ryan to yank the young boy who stood trembling backed against the wall with his younger brother clutched to his chest in the sling he wore. "It's gonna be okay, but we need to run now, okay?" Ryan cried as they ran/

Having dismounted earlier to search through the buildings surrounding the outer edges of the village, Ryan dragged the two boys with him as he ran, heading back towards where he had left his horse. Unfortunately, the trio had to avoid the main road due to the sudden swarm of Titans headed their way. "Shit!" Ryan cursed under his breath as he swerved into the ruins of the town hall, the younger boy stumbling over his feet at the sudden movement. "It's gonna be okay" he reassured his charges.

"Really?" the boy whispered as he looked up at Ryan with glistening eyes.

"Promise" Ryan replied as he pulled them over to an outcropping that overlooked the path where his horse stood. There wasn't really any way for them to get down quickly, especially with the Titans that were closing in. He could probably jump the distance, it wasn't that far, but with a young child and baby on board…

Looking around, Ryan spotted a large wooden door that sat near the edge and was leant against a piece of rubble; one end sat on the ground and the other was up in the air. A stupid idea came to mind as he turned to the young children, ever mindful of the Titans closing in.

Ryan squatted in front of the young boy and made sure that the babe's sling was tied tightly around his brother's neck before he rose and picked them up, placing them on the edge of the wooden door.

"Right, copy me" Ryan instructed, pulling the boy's attention from the approaching Titan. "Head down" Ryan stood next to the boy and pulled his head down, as he instructed him.

"Head down" repeated the boy, mimicking Ryan.

"Arms in" Ryan crossed his arms over his chest.

"Arms in" The boy clutched tight to his younger brother, who thankfully had stopped wailing by now and was only sniffling.

"Knees apart" Ryan peered over the boy's shoulder at the Titan who now stood over them with its hand raised to slam down on them.

"Knees apart-Knees apart? Why would I need to keep my knees apart?" The boy didn't receive an answer from Ryan, instead the Titan slammed its hand down on the raised end of the door, sending the two into the air with a scream.

In turn, Ryan dodged the second attempt by the Titan and leapt off of the outcropping, rolling to a stop by his horse's feet. Quickly rising to his feet, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief as he mounted his horse, behind the young boy who sat panting and ashen-faced in the saddle.  _They made it!_  He thought, thankful that the boys hadn't overshot his horse.

After a quick shuffle, sorting out the seating arrangement ended with Ryan in the saddle and the young boy sitting in his lap with the babe clutched tightly in his arms. Grabbing tight to the reins, Ryan urged his horse into motion as the Titan moved towards them with a few more headed their way.

With the Titan approaching from the rear, and another coming from the right, Ryan felt his fear begin to turn to panic as they raced down the path. From here, Ryan didn't really seem to be in control as his horse raced towards the edge of the path, straight off the end. "Max?" Ryan called as his horse raced on and leapt off the edge of the path, "Max! MAX!"

Those aboard the horse let out screams of fear and Max let out a whinny as they sailed off the end of the path, sliding down the roof of the nearest building and landing with a thump on the ground below. "Alright Max, let's see how fast you can run" Ryan challenged as Max picked up speed, racing through the village, dodging Titans and rubble as they did so.

* * *

"HEY RYAN! OVER HERE!" James called from atop a piece of rubble, waving his arms in the air. Ryan had been able to lose the trailing Titans around the edges of the village, as they came through the mountain pass.

Pulling his tired horse to a stop, Ryan handed the younger boys to Jim, who in turn placed them on the ground where they wasted no time in launching themselves into the arms of the wailing mother in Mary's arms. The woman clutched her two sons to her chest, the tears starting anew as her boys were returned to her.

"Ya did good, squirt" Jim clapped Ryan on his shoulder as he pulled his reindeer up next to Ryan's horse, "Ya did good"


	38. Aftermath: Pressure

_**"One can only take so much before they break…like when younger siblings do 'the almost touch' to you, eventually you're gonna snap and hit them 'round the head…course then, you're in trouble for it"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Rose Courthouse, Stohess District**

Down in the main courtyard, Edith helped to hitch up the two horses to the wooden cart, securing the two in their place as Eren, Armin and Mikasa readied the supplies within. Night had fallen by the time they had finally been given the go ahead to set out and assist in the fight against the Titans within Wall Rose.

She gripped tight to one of the leather straps of the horse's harness as a jolt of pain laced through her head. Thankfully the nap beforehand had helped with the migraine, reducing it down to a small annoying headache that was easily ignored with other things on her mind.

And things there were; memories of times long passed now took root in her mind. At first she had thought she had just been dreaming, a nightmare. But the more she thought about it, the more things started to make sense. First off there was the odd brand on her chest, then there was the fact that there hadn't been images of her as a child between the ages of 2 and 8 in her home in Shiganshina; like she had never been there to begin with.

There was also the familiarity in which she had fought the Spriggan and how she had known that that is what he was. So many little instances that had seemed out of place before, ones that she had just chalked down to muscle memory or coincidence were now fitting into place.

Then there were the newer discoveries. Whilst she had cleaned herself up and redressed in her uniform earlier in the evening, she noticed her hair had grown redder in its tone and she could've sworn her eyes had also taken a red hue at one point; but when she had blinked it was gone.

The most alarming thing that had happened was when she went to wrapped her bruised and scabbing knuckles, hurt from her earlier ministrations in the courtyard. Only when she looked down, there were no scabs, no bruises instead the skin was perfectly healed and her veins seemed to glow an ethereally red as she inspected them. Edith hadn't had time to examine any further.

The sound of Eren's complaints soon broke her out of her thoughts. "Great, is somebody explain to me what this means?" Eren sat down next to Mikasa on the left-hand side of the wagon.

"I don't know" Armin answered coming to stand at the back of the wagon "But they're Titans, right? They'd break a Wall with Titans in it?"

"Wouldn't be the first time. It's how they got into Shiganshina"

"That was a gate"

"Armin, what exactly are you getting at?" Mikasa asked looking around Eren towards the blonde.

"The Walls are different, there are no signs of stress, cracks, no crevices in the rocks. We can't really tell how they were constructed. Suppose they're built with the same stuff Annie incased herself in, must be versatile material and we know it's virtually indestructible"

"So the Walls…are made of Titans? Eren breathed.

* * *

Some time later, when all the remaining Scouts had gathered and the last of the soldiers were just trickling in, finding their spots in the formation. Most of the rookies were mounted on their horses, surrounding the wagon in which Mikasa, Eren and Armin sat. In turn, Edith stood waiting with her arms crossed at the back of the wagon, so that she could latch the back panel when the last of the passengers arrived, before taking her place at the reins.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Took longer to prepare than I thought" Hanji chirped as she, Levi and Pastor Nick finally arrived.

"He's a…he's a priest from the Order of the Walls!" Armin stammered as the trio approached.

"I know! Ole Nick and me are thick as thieves" Hanji laughed, "Makes about as much sense for him to be here as much as the rest of us. We're…random"

"No on the contrary, Erwin's thrown us together for a reason" Levi corrected getting into the wagon.

"Whose driving this thing?" Hanij asked, looking around when she saw that the space up front was empty.

"I am" Edith replied, making the Wallist flinch slightly when she announced herself.

"No! I refuse to board a vessel of the heathen! Begone, vile demon! Let the Lord take me, before I step into the den of the beast!" the Pastor cried gesturing wildly, almost hitting Levi in the face (who was trying to board the wagon) as he did so.

"Would you let me do the honours then, Pastor? I would gladly send you to your Lord myself" Edith smirked, her tone turning sickly sweet as her gaze narrowed on the tall man before her. Behind her, Levi raised an eyebrow at the response while Hanji merely ran a hand down her face in exasperation.

Instead of a quick and witty response like Edith was expecting, the Pastor turned around and started spouting verses from the Order of the Walls to support his argument.  _"…Why do you boast in evil, O mighty one? The goodness of our God endures continually…Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, speaking lies rather than righteousness…devour words with your deceitful tongue. The almighty God shall likewise destroy you forever more; he shall pick you out of your dwelling place and uproot you from the land of the living"[Psalm 51:02-05]_

"Is this guy for real?" Eren muttered behind her as Edith took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper in check before she replied in turn, preaching her own verses from the Order of Ymir.

_"…Abstain from the useless wrangling of men with their corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that Godliness is a means of gain. From such, withdraw yourself" [Sina 06:06]_

What followed next was a battle of wills and faiths as each of them spouted a verse, trying to top the other in their show of faith. _"…In the beginning there was the Wall and the Wall was with God and the Wall was God…all things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made. In Him was life and the light of blessed men…"[Eld 1:1,3-4]_  Pastor Nick retorted, pulling himself up to his full height as he towered over her.

 _"…In his desperation the man fell prey to the lies of the False God…he named them divine creatures, those wantonly bastards…how typical that he shall place himself atop the pyre, least he be the last to burn"[Psalm 66:06]_  Edith puffed out her chest as she replied, her voice turning from its sickly sweet tone to a purr as she watched a look of panic pass through the Pastor's eyes.

He didn't get a time to stutter out an answer as Hanji seemed to have reached her wits end. "Alright, that's enough jabber outta you two. Nick, get in" Hanji shoved the taller man into the wagon, sitting him down next to Levi before following after him. Edith then turned to push the back panel up with a grunt and latched it shut before make her way round to the front, all the while muttering under her breath about 'the damn pissy Wallist'.

"Uh, what was that?" Eren asked as the trio settled themselves in their seats, Hanji and the Pastor across from them and Edith at the reins. The others seemed to wondering the same thing as their confusion remained plastered to their faces.

"…Everyone has their own faiths, Eren" Hanji sighed when Edith made no attempt to reply as the call for the gate to be opened rang out.

"The status of Wall Rose is unclear. But everything up to Ehrmich is safe, that's the route we'll be taking. Let's move out!" Erwin commanded, taking the lead.

"Yes, sir!" the Scouts chorused.

"You heard 'em" Levi commented.

"Sir!" Edith replied, flicking the reins and setting the horses in motion.

_**"This whole time Titans had been protecting us from other Titans…even now, it's still surreal"- Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert** _

* * *

"Wait, wait. Back up, you're joking right? You mean this guy knew this whole time? He knew and kept quiet?" Eren demanded, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Uh huh, afraid so. Just about sums are where we are with him" Hanji replied "Cats out of the bag  _now_ of course. He's not willing to talk yet but we'll see how he feels after a harsh dose of reality. Faith keeps him quiet, firsthand experience though?"

"To hell with that!" Eren cried leaping to his feet, "We're doing this backwards, if there's something this bastard knows, he needs to come out with it! Humanity's on the brink of extinction and all you care about is keeping your oath?"

"Hey! Take it easy, you're still not fully recovered" Mikasa scolded as Eren fell back with a hand clutched to his pounding head.

"There's more than one way to get at the truth" Levi stated, cocking the gun within his blazer and digging it into Nick's ribs. "Granted, I may not be in top form at the moment but it doesn't take much strength to squeeze the trigger. That said, I'm genuinely hoping I won't have to blow a hole in you to settle this. How about you?"

"Threatening him won't work, Levi. Trust me on that" Hanji interjected dispassionately.

"You could always throw him off the Wall again" Edith smirked from up the front, her tone oozing smugness.

"What?" Eren squawked at the comment.

"Agree with him or not, there's no denying our priest here is a man of principle" Hanji continued, ignoring Edith's comment though her cheeks coloured slightly. "Which of course leads me to wonder, if he's so unwilling to talk what in heaven's name do you imagine could he be putting above the fate of humanity?"

* * *

"Hey Four-Eyes, since when are you a geologist? Or are rocks just that fascinating? Looks like you're about to drool" Levi commented as they passed through the darkening woods, their way lit by the flicker torches and lanterns that each rider held.

"What? This?" Hanji questioned, gesturing to the blue Titan crystal in her hands. "It's not a rock, not an ordinary one anyway. It's a hardened piece of skin left behind by the Female Titan"

"Huh? It didn't vanish?" Armin exclaimed.

"No, this random fragment broke off when Annie reverted back to her human form. It didn't evaporate and simply go poof! So that got me thinking and when I compared it to a sliver of the Wall, it's texture and composition were, for all intents and purposes, virtually identical. In plain terms, we're hemmed in by a barrier of enormous Titans. If my hypothesis is correct, the surface was constructed using consolidated Titan skin"

"You're kidding me, that's what Armin was trying to say" Mikasa breathed.

"…So then-"Armin began to say, realisation dawning on his face as Hanji leapt forth and slapped a hand over his mouth, preventing any words from coming out, much to his surprise.

"Easy now, it's rude to steal someone else's thunder" She laughed "As it stands, we'd be hard pressed to find a rock to plug Wall Rose; it'd have to be just the right shape in size and we don't even have the specifics yet. But on the other hand, where there's a will, there's a way. Picture Eren, utilising his hardening ability while in Titan form"

"I could…patch the hole" Eren muttered, eyes wide.

"Well, the sealing should be composed of the same material and the harden crystal won't dissolve once he changes back, it'll be less of a long shot than it sounds. Thoughts?"

"I hate to be the negative Nancy" Edith interjected over her shoulder, "But do we even know if Eren  _can_  crystallise? I mean, he's never done it before, nor has he shown any signs of doing so"

"Well, anything worthwhile incurs a little risk. If we can manage to patch up Wall Rose, Wall Maria starts to look fairly promising" Armin replied.

"Vital as it is, the outpost infrastructure slows us down to a crawl, the time and resources needed to transport materials are immense. But if supply wagons don't have to be accommodated, we can make our way to Shiganshina much faster…and what if we decided to carry out our plan in the dead of night?" Armin continued, thinking aloud as he went.

"Night?" Hanji questioned.

"Yes, when the Titans are effectively motionless"

"…That's not bad, in fact it's genius particularly if the group is small enough to slip by undetected" Hanji glanced down at the crystal once more, "The straits we're in are as dire as they come, but there might just be the tiniest bit of slack"

"Yeah, just bare in mind though, the whole plan hinges on whether or not Eren can seal a hole again"

"It's probably unfair of me to even ask, but do you think you can?"

"What he thinks isn't really the issue" Levi interjected as Eren thought over the question, "You either will or you won't. That's the reality, our comrades are breaking their backs, but without you it's nothing. Failure  _isn't_  an option"

"Sir! I know, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes, that's a promise. My father's cellar, that's where the answers are; if there's a grain of truth in anything he told me, everything depends on us making it there" Eren replied as the Scouts crossed the border into Ehrmich.

* * *

**Spring 850  
Main Road, Ehrmich District**

Absentmindedly, Edith began to sing the  _'Queen Ymir'_  hymn under her breath; the very one that was sung during her inducement as a Herald all those years ago. Levi tried his best to ignore the rookie and Nick's shoulders tensed at the song or the view, he wasn't sure. Probably a combination of both.

 _Take the hunger inside you_  
_Banish it in the cold_  
_Your flesh to eat_  
_Your soul to keep_  
_The Dark Lord shall behold_  
_Queen Ymir we extol_

She stood shrouded in the dark tunnel as she watched Levi introduce Pastor Nick to the 'horrors' of reality. "No one said stop" Levi kicked the Pastor as he paused in the entranceway of the tunnel leading from the courtyard to the main road. "A rolling stone gathers no moss"

 _Why do I even have to be here?_  Edith thought as she crossed her arms and watched Levi force the Pastor to take in the reality of the situation.  _Why couldn't it have been Armin or Jean? Or even Mikasa, if they wanted someone scary._

 _In the winter of misery_  
_Hail Ymir blessed be, tied by the sword_  
_Praise our Dark Lord_  
_And saved our sovereignty_  
_Queen Ymir let us bleed_

"This is…" Nick trailed as he watched the refugees trudge down the road, their only possessions strapped to their person and crying children clutched close by.

"Maybe you expected it to be something quaint" Levi taunted over his shoulder, _"This_  is what happens when the Walls give" Nick made to move back into the tunnel, away from the people when Levi placed a hand on his shoulder, locking him in place.

 _We rejoice in the feast_  
_In the name of the beast_  
_And honour Ymir the mother_  
_Who paid the price through sacrifice_  
_And saved the Titan Nine_

"Take it in, Holy man. These are the faces of the human beings who have lost everything they ever had, human beings you and your kind have abandoned incidentally. Hard to look at, I imagine, but if the Church had its way, this would be all of us. Titans would come in and make a feast of us, consuming man, woman and child; all humanity digested as one"

 _Praise Mother Ymir for our sacred feast_  
_Praise Holy Ymir your soul now released_  
_Praise Goddess Ymir!_  
_Reside, reside, reside_  
_Reside with the beast!_

The faint singing of the hymn sounded eerie in the quiet against the backdrop of the refugees. Nick couldn't help the fear that enveloped him as he turned to face the two Scouts that had accompanied him, there was Levi who stood with a dark expression on his face as he watched the procession of refugees move down the street.

Then there was the Faery, Edith, who stood blanketed by the darkness of the tunnel, leaving only her bright eyes staring at him as they shined in the torchlight. Combined with the ghostly singing of the hymn, it gave off the feeling of a demonic beast; one that did nothing to suppress the years of tales about  _those_  creatures.

* * *

Back in the main courtyard, the trio met up with Hanji and the other rookies in tow. "So? Seen the light then, by any chance?" Hanji asked. Nick merely looked down at his feet with a sad expression upon his face, but his lips were firmly sealed shut. "OH GOD DAMMIT! MAKE UP YOUR MIND! THIS ISN'T SOME SPIRITUAL TEST, THERE ARE LIVES ON THE LINE!"

"Alas, I have no choice. Neither myself, nor the others who believe are at liberty to divulge the truth"

"FAT LOT OF HELP YOU ARE! THANKS FOR KEEPING US COMPANY, IT'S BEEN FUN!" Hanji roared in response.

"I'd offer my help if I could, but a duty as great as this one if beyond me. The Order of the Walls abides by the sacred will out faith commands us to obey"

"Whose sacred will? You mean like God's or something?"

"I can't answer that. But what I can do, is provide you with a name, an individual that the sacred will and its divine mist instructed us to watch over and monitor"

"Monitor?"

"It's a person you know, someone who enlisted with the Scout regiment as of this year. A child by the name of Krista Lenz"

"Huh?" the rookies gasped.

"And with that, we come to the end of what I am free to share with you. I leave the rest in your capable hands"

"But…but if she's in the 104th cadet corps, that means she's on the frontlines by now" Hanji breathed at the realisation.

"Then let's go! There's no time to lose!" Eren declared as he turned from the group and made to go dress himself in the spare ODM gear by the door. Only he ended up in a tangled pile on the floor with Sasha who had appeared rather suddenly.

"Sasha?" Eren asked as he untangled himself from the girl.

"Where did you come from?" Mikasa asked, peering over Eren's shoulder.

"I was sent…to give a message to Commander Erwin, who in turn entrusted me to deliver it to you, Captain!" Sasha panted, clutching to a sealed scroll in her hands which she held out to Hanji.

"Oh, uh, okay then. Excellent work" Hanji murmured as she took the scroll from the tired girl and replaced it with a steaming potato.

* * *

Nick latched a hand onto Hanji's elbow, catching her from moving to dress herself in the spare ODM gear like the rookies were currently doing. "What?" Hanji asked, searching his blank face for any clue.

"I cannot divulge anymore information, least I invoke the wrath of the divine" Nick stated, Hanji rolled her eyes at the repeated information, "But if you want more answers, ask the Faery" Hanji and Levi glanced over to where Nick had nodded at Edith who was checking her gas canisters, unaware of their stares.


	39. Stories Untold: Soldier

**_"If I had to spend more than eight hours in a tiny room with a group of gassy, grass-fed teenage boys, I think I'd go mad…They'd probably knock me out or something…and then I'd be gone like a fart in the wind (excuse the pun)…I don't envy you, Krista. No, I do not"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**Spring 850  
Utagrd Castle Ruins, Ehrmich District**

With no visible breach found in Wall Rose along with the remaining refugees rounded up and sent inwards, the rookies were then corralled into Utgard Castle that lay abandoned within the Ehrmich district as they waited out the Titan-infested night.

"Someone was here not that long ago" commented Reiner sitting close to the makeshift campfire in the middle of the room.

"A place this close to the Wall?" Nanaba questioned, crouched on the floor on the other side.

"Bandits probably used it as a hideout" Krista suggested with a shrug from her place by the stairs.

"A sign on the way in said  _'Ruins of Utgard Castle'_  I didn't know there was a historical sight around here"

"You should see  _Quakers_ " Ryan huffed, warming his hands in front of the fire. "That place's supposed to be haunted with demons and shit"

"And your people hid there? Willingly?" Mary asked affronted at the thought.

"Eh, it's just some old stories used to scare kids" Ryan waved off.

_**"Ruins of an old castle, construction date unknown…The interior is outfitted with canons, lending it considerable defensive power, but it is unknown what it was constructed to defend against"-Public Information: Utgard Castle Ruins** _

"Hey, take a look at what I just stumbled on" Crowed Gelgar, coming into the room with an old bottle of wine.

"You're kidding! Is that what I think it is?" Lynne asked, looking over her shoulder at the man in question.

"Uh huh, can't really read the label though"

"You're not gonna drink it now, are you?"

"Ah! Don't be such a smart-ass, I'm gonna save it for later"

"Y'know there are worst ways to spend a night, then having access to top shelf contraband" Henning chuckled.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like an outlaw" Nanaba laughed.

"I want you kids to try and get some rest" Gelgar stated, standing over the tired rookies, "There shouldn't be any Titans crawling around at this time of night. But  _we'll_ take turns keeping watch, be ready to leave four hours shy of daybreak" Ryan tried to contain his groan at tomorrow's early wake-up call; like Edith, he was not a morning person.

"Excuse me" Krista piped up, "What if it turns out that Wall Rose isn't actually compromised. Where do, uh, where else could they be coming from?"

Gelgar jolted at the question, "…It's our job to find out. Starting tomorrow" Before making his way back up the stairs to take first watch.

"I'm just saying, the situation isn't good, sure, but is it as bad as we think? Ya never know, right? That's why…" Krista turned to the other superiors in the room.

"She's right" Henning admitted, "We haven't really seen that many Titans, I mean for them to have busted through the Wall, anyway"

"Only other than the initial sighting, it's been a relatively modest handful" Nanaba added on.

"Hey, Ryan? How was your village? Did you make it in time?" Krista asked, turning to the man who sat practically petting the flames at this point.

"Ah, y'know, typical Titan invasion" he shrugged, "Thankfully a few people made it to the bunker on the edge of town"

"Really? But how would they made it out of the valley in time?"

"It was only by sheer luck that Andersson was moving his herd down to a lower paddock, so he let the group take them out of the village. Two birds with one stone, I guess"

"A warning woulda been nice!" Mary piped up with a grin, making light of the situation "They gave me a helluva fright when those reindeer came out of the tunnels"

"Reindeer?" Ymir repeated.

"Oh yeah, rode 'em like fuckin' woodland elves"

"…You're village is weird, Hill"

"Preaching to the choir, Ymir" Ryan smirked.

"Connie? What about your village?" Ymir asked, turning to the uncharacteristically quiet boy who sat to Ryan's left.

"Totally destroyed, it was crushed to timber and bits of rubble" Connie replied.

"I, uh…I'm sorry"

"Nobody got devoured though; looked like they all got out. So there's a silver lining at least"

"I thought that you said it was destroyed?"

"Well, the houses and stuff were, but the people themselves must've all escaped. I mean they had to of. The thing is, we didn't see any blood anywhere, not so much as one drop. That's the only possible explanation, still though, there's something I still can't get out of my head. There was a Titan on top of our house, just lying there staring at me. It couldn't move on its own, thank God…But I just…I have no idea why, but it reminded me of my mom. Am I crazy?"

"Are you for real?!" Ymir laughed, "You actually think your mother is a Titan. Oh Connie, as itty bitty as you are…please! We all knew you were dumb as a bag of rocks, but this? Whoa man! This takes it to a whole other level!"

 _She's kinda laying it on a bit thick there._  Ryan thought as he and the others stared wide-eyed at Ymir's sudden mood change, going from sullen and sombre to upright jolly in a heartbeat. "Ha ha, yeah, have your fun" Connie sassed cradling his head in his hands, "I guess I was kinda asking for it"

"Don't stop there, if mother-darling is a Titan, then it makes sense that dear old father-dearest would be one too. Basic biology, think about. How else-"Ymir taunted.

"Okay! I get it! Shut up and go to sleep!" Connie cut off and with that, Ryan chose to curl up next to the dying fire in order to claim what few hours of sleep he could.

* * *

Reiner picked his way over the snoring bodies of his fellow rookies who had clung to each other as the night wore on, looking for some source of warmth. Next to the dying fire, Ryan lay hugging onto Connie's right arm like a teddy bear with a steady stream of drool falling from his lips.

In turn, Connie lay practically starfished across the floor, with his arms out wide and mumbled odd things from time to time. Over by the staircase, Bertolt and Krista lay separately like little pills bugs wrapped in their blankets. In Krista's case, she wore not only her own, but Ymir's as well.

"Ymir? What are you doing?" Reiner asked, having found the girl in question rummaging through one of the wooden crates in the storage room by candlelight.

"Seriously? What are  _you_  doing?" She teased. "Here to ravage me? Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't think you were all that into girls"

"Really? Well since we're on the subject, I didn't think you were all that into guys"

"Hmph! If you must know, I'm scavenging for leftovers like a common street rat" Ymir turned back to search through the box in front of her, "I'd prefer not to meet my maker on an empty stomach"

"Look, the whole thing earlier with Connie" Reiner started, closing the door behind him as he stepped further into the room, "Were you teasing him to get his mind off of things? It'd be great if you could keep that up, the less he dwells on his family right now, the better"

"What are you talking about?" Ymir questioned nonchalantly, pulling out a can of food to inspect "Huh, this might be good. Herring's not my favourite, but whatever"

"Herring, huh? Can I see?"

"Help yourself"

"I can't believe there's canned food here" Reiner stated as he took the small can from Ymir and began to inspect the old label. _What the…? What is this? I can't read a word of it! How do you know this says 'herring'?_  He thought. "This uh…label, it's in another language. Ymir, how can you…?"

Ymir was saved from answering Reiner's pestering questions when Lynne burst into view, yelling at the top of her lungs as she appeared. "EVERYONE! WAKE UP! GET TO THE TOWER IMMEDIATELY!"

* * *

Upon arriving at the watchtower that overlooked what remained of the courtyard. What had once been a group of a few small Titans ambling around the place, had now at least doubled in numbers. And all of them were headed their way.

"Holy shit" Ryan breathed, suddenly feeling very small and vulnerable up on the roof.

"Bother someone else! I should be drinking right now! You're standing between me and a tankard of ale!" complained Glegar as he and the other Scouts in charge readied themselves for battle, leaving the rookies to watch.

"ATTACK!" Nanaba cried as the superiors launched themselves forward.

"YOU THINK IT'S GONNA BE THAT EASY, BIG GUY? I GOT NEWS FOR YA!" Gelgar declared with a war cry as he sliced through the fingers of the first Titan; cutting him from the tower and giving Nanaba the perfect shot to go for the kill.

"Goddamn! You little ones should watch where you're going! Ha! Dumbasses!" Gelgar taunted, watching the dead Titan squash the two metres beneath it.

"I don't think you're one to talk, there's no call to be so reckless. Did you have to waste your blades?" Nanaba scolded.

"That's just how I roll. You better chalk that one up as an assist"

"Oh, aren't you the hero. I'll think about it"

Down below, Lynne and Henning took turns taking out the smaller Titans that were more nuisances than anything. Annoying things, but left alone could do a lot of damage. "Oh no, I'm too late" Lynne breathed upon spotting a broken door hanging off of its hinges.

She barely paused to stop next to Nanaba and Gelgar, to deliver her message. "The door's been kicked down!" Before she moved up to the rookies still stood watching the scene play out, "Titans are in the castle, get below and improvise some sort of a barricade. Be careful, retreat back up here only as a last resort"

Lynne paused for a moment, taking in the shocked and scared faces of the rookies before she continued, "Now hurry, the rest of us will keep anymore from getting in as long as we can. There are quite a few, so this might be it for us…but by God we'll fight with our last breath. Our heart and soul to the cause, right? Now go!"

"Got it!" The rookies chorused, heading inwards.

* * *

"I'll go see how far they've gotten in" Reiner declared taking the blazing torch off of the wall as he led the group back into the castle, "You find something to board up the entrance with whatever isn't nailed down"

"Reiner wait!" Krista protested as Bertolt moved through the group and followed after Reiner.

"Hang on! We're coming! Wait up!" Bertolt called impatiently after Reiner.

"Are you kidding me? Why's he always gotta be the first one to step up? Give us a break" Connie complained.

"I know, it's a habit of his"

"Yeah, him and every other guy in the military" Ymir scoffed, "What is it with you lot and the hero complex?"

"I don't have a hero complex!" Ryan defended as they descended into darkness. Ymir merely smirked and raised an eyebrow in response.

 _Are they in the tower?_  Reiner thought, looking down into the dark chamber the Scouts had occupied only moments before. It now looked dark and menacing with the shadows dancing and stretching in the torchlight.  _The door's still barred, not that that's gonna keep 'em out for long._

Stepping up to the barred door, Reiner removed the plank of wood locking the door in place and pulled the door ajar so he could peer down the stairwell. Despite his previous thoughts and confidence in his abilities, he still wasn't expecting the bright beady eyes staring back at him in the dark. "Shit!" he cursed, slamming the door shut behind him just in time since the Titan launched itself forward and began to ram against the wooden door, trying to find a way in.

"THEY'RE IN THE TOWER! GET DOWN HERE AND HELP ME!" Reiner called back up the stairs, his heart jackhammering in his chest as he leant against the door, trying to add what little weight he could to the already barred door. Not that his attempts were of any use as the Titan struck through (quite literally) the door, waving its hand around as if it were trying to swat a fly.

 _Is this it? Is this how I go out? Son of a bitch!_  He thought, childhood memories flashing before his eyes as he stood frozen in fear. Ones of a Titan reaching for him, his friend and brother pushing him aside and being taken instead, the Titan biting down hard on the boy, blood flying everywhere. And the fear! So much fear, it was deafening, enveloping everything it touched almost like he was drowning in it. He could taste it on the back of his tongue, could feel the leaden feeling in his stomach, rooting him in place.

 _No! Not yet! I refuse! I'm going home!_ Reiner ducked out of the precarious hold the Titan had on him, falling to the floor in front of the door, just in time to see the Titan poke its head through.

"Reiner!" Bertolt called, running forward with a pitchfork in hand and jamming it into the face of the Titan and injuring it. Reiner stood up and helped Bertolt bury the pitchfork further into the Titan's head. "Talk to me, man. Are you good?" Bertolt asked.

"Yes. Listen to me, we're gonna make it home. This is not how we die"

"Yeah, I know"

"Guys! Heads up! Incoming!" Ymir called from the top of the stairs, breaking whatever moment they were having. Both boys turned to look up the stairs at the call, only to see Ryan, Connie, Krista and Ymir gathered around a dusty old canon.

"Where'd you find…? Good work! Is there ammo?" Reiner asked.

"Yeah right! If only! You're lucky that we found this" Ymir replied, helping Ryan and Connie edge the weapon closer to the top of the stairs.

"Outta the way!" Ryan called as the group gave an almighty heave and pushed the canon down the stairs. Reiner and Bertolt only just managed to jump out of the way in time as the canon came rocketing down the stairs, headed straight for the Titan in the door.

"May miracles never cease, hazar" Ymir prayed sarcastically as the group watched the dust cloud dissipate to reveal the implied Titan stuck beneath several planks of wood and the broken pieces of the canon.

"Yeah, it's not getting up from that" Reiner agreed, "Good thing it was a little one"

"What now? A knife's the only thing we've got" Connie asked staring down at his dagger which was really no bigger than a butter knife, "Should I cut the nape or…?"

"Don't risk it, you'll get hurt" Reiner replied.

"Then I think it's best if we head back up stairs for now" Krista suggested, this time taking the lead with torch in hand as she made her way back up the stairs. "We have no way of knowing if that's the only one who got in…"

Krista trailed off as she peered over her shoulder just in time to see another Titan appear in the doorway; unbeknownst to the others. "CONNIE! LOOK OUT!" she cried as the Titan cracked open its jaws and went in for the kill.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, one moment Connie was staring up at the jaws of death and the next he was flat out on the floor with Reiner standing defensively over the boy with his right arm caught in the Titan's teeth. "Reiner, no!" Krista cried, racing to help her comrade only for Ymir to block her way. The group could only watch on as Reiner heaved the two metre over his shoulders and shuffled up the stairs towards the closest window.

"Holy…what are you doing?" Ryan asked wide-eyed not quite sure what he was seeing.

"A-are you gonna jump out the window with it?" Connie added, still laid out on the floor.

"We've got no other choice!" Reiner declared, mounting the window sill with the Titan hanging headfirst out the window.

"No, wait!" Connie cried racing up next to the pair and stabbing his small knife in the side of the Titan's face. "Just gimme a sec, I think I can slice its jaw open"

The others could only watch as blood splattered across the two and a loud crack was heard as the Titan was forced to spit out Reiner's arm. The Titan remained relatively unharmed as Connie and Reiner rejoined the group surrounding the window on the stairs. So it was with a sickening grin that the Titan leant forth to snap up the closet rookie, intent on eating at least one of them.

In a fit of panic, Ryan launched the piece of splintered wood in his hands, straight towards the Titan where it lodged itself in the back of the beast's throat. It seemed to take the creature completely off guard for a moment or two as it sat there choking and gasping on the wood that was now impaled through the back of its throat, bleeding profusely. Ymir didn't even waste time thinking about what to do next as she took the chance to kick the Titan out the window; Reiner and Bertolt joining in at the last minute to push the legs out as well.

The beast tumbled all the way down the tower and landed on the ground with an almighty crack, no doubt breaking most of its bones. But it the Titan steam was anything to go by, it wouldn't stay down for long.

* * *

"What do we do if another one gets in?" Connie asked as he and Ymir haphazardly nailed some planks in place to barricade the door further. "Not likely to find another canon lying around, am I right?"

"Probably. Lightning doesn't strike twice" Bertolt replied from off to the side where he was holding another plank of wood in one hand and the torch in the other. He looked over to the left where Krista was helping Ryan tend to Reiner's injured arm.

"This might sting a little" Ryan warned as he poured some of the whiskey over Reiner's wound as Krista held it still; intent on helping in some way.

"Sorry, I know it stings. Plus the bone's most likely fractured" Krista sorrowfully added.

"Course, that's just my luck" Reiner sulked.

"We'll need a splint and a bandage" Ryan continued, searching through what little supplies he had. Unfortunately, he had used the majority of his bandages of Eren earlier, leaving him only with his surgical tools and tape.

"Easy enough" Krista replied, standing up and ripping off a section of her skirt, leaving the hem to fall just below her thighs.

"Thanks" Ryan muttered as he took the dirty cloth from Krista and tore it in two. The smaller portion he paired with the piece of wood he'd picked up, began to make a splint for the blushing Reiner.

"The cloth's filthy, I haven't been able to wash it in forever. I'm sorry" Krista apologised softly.

"No problem, it's fine. Does the job well" Ryan replied, moving to tie the larger excess fabric behind Reiner's neck, forming a sling.

"So you gonna be alright, or what?" Connie asked as the other trio came over after throughly barricading the door.

"I think so, probably" Reiner murmured, looking down.

"Well, he's not gonna die at least" Ryan added, clapping Reiner on his shoulder as he stood and stretched, popping his joints as he did so.

"Y'know, Krista…I got a little scratched up myself" Ymir purred, raising her hand as she did so. She clearly was wanting to pull the girl away from the Reiner; not that the others really caught on.

"So just spit on in it or something" Connie retorted, "Anyway, sorry about all that, man. Huh seems, like you're always having to save my ass. You and everyone else, even Annie put herself on the line for me once, I owe you. A lot"

"No, no. It's fine. We have each other's back; it's what soldiers do"

"I dunno how I could ever be that courageous" Connie turned to Bertolt who stood off in the corner, "Has he always been like this? The self-sacrificing type?"

"No, he's changed a bit. In the old days, Reiner was more of a warrior"  
"A warrior? I'm not quite sure I understand" Reiner replied.

"Anyway, let's scrounge around for stuff we can use. If I have to die, I'd rather not do it 'cause were being half-assed" Ymir piped up, moving up the stairs and leaning out of the window that the Titan had been thrown out of.

"How's the view, Ymir?" Ryan teased, looking over the brunette's shoulder.

"Oh wow, well alright then, say what you will, but the Scouts get shit done" Down in the courtyard below, several Titan corpses lay steaming, dotted around the place like odd garden ornaments. That's not to say there weren't any still wandering around, 'cause there were.

"Well, at least their numbers have dwindled a bit" Ryan commented, his eyes tracking Nanaba who cut through the legs of a 7 metre, while Gelgar went in for the kill.

What happened next seemed to come straight out of a nightmare. "Holy shit" Ymir breathed, leaning further out the window "What the fuck is that?" She didn't receive a reply, not verbally anyway. Instead, the tower felt like it swayed on its foundations, shaking as something struck further up and bring the rubble tumbling down passed their window.

"Shit! Are those the horses?" Ryan muttered, looking down at what had struck the tower. When the dust and cleared, you could see the bloody and mutilated corpses of two of their horses just lying on the ground.

"So much for diurnal Titans"

* * *

"Oh shit!" Connie cried as he emerged out onto the roof of the tower, or at least what remained on it. The others were hot on his heels. Part of the stone turrets had crumbled away, leaving them exposed to any attacks from that side, but the worst part wasn't the broken wall. No, it was the dead Scouts laid flat out on the ground.

"They're dead, died instantly" Gelgar thought aloud as he set Henning on the ground next to the body of Lynne.

"Ah! He did this! The one who made a beeline for the Wall!" Connie ran over to the side in order to try and search for the Titan in question. "Hairy son of a bitch is randomly-!" It was upon the sighting of the new Titan horde that Connie cut himself off in shock at the numbers. "HEADS UP GUYS! WE'VE GOT TWICE AS MANY AS BEFORE!"

"You're kidding!" Gelgar gasped.

"It's like they're timing these attacks as some part of a larger strategy. This isn't random at all, we're being toyed with" Nanaba analysed.

Suddenly a bone-rattling roar sounded across the land, reaching from the Wall to the ruins of Utgard castle. In response, the Titans that lay within the courtyard made a beeline for the tower, intent on knocking it down in anyway they could. While the terror-stricken rookies huddled up on the rooftop, Nanaba and Gelgar set to work, knowing that this was probably how they were going to die.

 _Damn it! I'm running out of gas!_  Nanaba thought as she sliced through the nape of a 10 metre. "Come on! Go down!" she muttered, hoping she wouldn't have to go in for a second attempt at the kill. Thankfully she did not, but terror gripped her hard and fast as she watched the steaming corpse collapse against the empty tower, knocking it down to rubble and leaving the rookies with nowhere to run.

"The tower's…not gonna…hold" Gelgar panted as he came to a rest next to Nanaba who clung to the remaining tower.

"Yeah and my ODM gear's low on juice, how's yours?" she asked.

"Fresh out and my blades are worn down to the nub. Please tell me those aren't the only ones you've got left"

"Fraid so"

"How many dead Titans did the four of us rack up?"

"Couldn't say, I was too preoccupied to keep count"

"Yeah well, I'm thinking I didn't do too bad" Blood ran further down Gelgar's face, dripping into his eyes, "Oh man, what's a guy…gotta do to get a…drink around here?"

"This isn't the time for-" Nanaba cut off as she saw the state of her comrade.

"I'm sorry…Nanaba…I musta bashed my head…I-I don't think…I can…hold on"

"GELGAR!" Nanaba cried as he collapsed forwards and fell from the tower, straight into the hands of a waiting Titan. Fury running through her veins, Nanaba sliced through the nape of the Titan, pushing far too hard as her final blades snapped down to the hilts and she used the last of her gas. "GELGAR, NO!" she cried watching the Titan fling her comrade into the castle as it fell.  _That's it, that's everything I've got!_ Nanaba thought as the last of her gas fizzled out and still the Titans approached.

* * *

The rookies could only watch on in horror as Nanaba and Gelgar were plucked from their spots, kicking and screaming, wailing their last pleading words before they were summarily eaten by the very beasts they had fought so hard to destroy.

"Ugh! Goddammit!" Connie cursed, turning from the carnage and punching the wall next to him in frustration, "Now what? We sit around waiting for the tower to collapse and let ourselves get eaten alive?"

Ryan fiddled with the old copper scroll-shaped pendant that hung around his neck as Connie rambled. It's not like he was wrong though. Without their ODM gear they were sitting ducks, especially since their only 'weapon' was Connie's tiny knife.  _I suppose I could use my scalpel if I needed to._  Ryan mused, biting his lower lip as he thought.

"That's it? There's really nothing else we can do? This is bullshit, we'll be wiped out before we get to finish what we started" Connie had fallen to the floor by this point, hugging his legs to his chest as he began to panic.

"No this…this isn't over yet. If I could find a weapon, I'd go down fighting. At least try to be worthy to the people who died for us" Krista declared.

"Krista, please" Ymir pleaded, unsettled by the sudden fire from the quiet girl, "Enough with that kind of crap already, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Don't use their deaths as an excuse, they didn't sacrifice themselves so you could fulfil some  _fantasy_  about going out in a blaze of glory"

"Ymir! You know that's not what I meant!"

"You damn well know you're not like Connie and the others, they're in this to give humanity a fighting chance. Deep down, all you care about is having the word  _'Hero'_  carved on your epitaph"

"T-that's not it at all"

"Connie, where's that knife you had?" Ymir asked, effectively putting an end to the conversation as she skirted around Krista and made her way over to Connie. Off to the side Ryan shifted in his spot, a feeling of awkwardness washing over him as he unwillingly overheard their very loud conversation. Before he tracked Ymir's movements over to the shorter boy, suddenly very cautious about what she wanted to do.

"Why?" Connie asked.

"Just give it here"

"Fine, whatever" Connie rose and gave Ymir the blade, handle first.

"You're very sweet, thanks" Ymir patted Connie on the head, much to his chagrin.

"Why do you even need it for?"

"Not much…just gonna give 'em a little hell"

"Okay, then do you have a plan?" Reiner asked.

"If I do, we'll learn what it is together" Ymir replied as she made her way over to the edge of the tower.

"Ymir…" Krista trailed.

"Krista, listen to me. I realise you've probably forgotten" Ymir held Krista tight as the tower shook, "But since we're facing the end, try to think back. Remember that oath we made on that snowy mountain?" Krista could only stare up at Ymir and couldn't help but feel like Ymir was saying a final goodbye. "I have no business telling you how to live your life, it's not my place. So I guess when you break it down, this is just really more of a hope. Krista, live a life you can be proud of"

Krista still wasn't able to say anything as Ymir pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting her go. Ymir moved closer to the edge, testing the sharpness of the knife as she went. "Never forget the promise we made" Ymir smiled, before taking a running jump and leaping out into the open air.

"YMIR! WAIT! YMIR!" Krista wailed.

The group could only watch on with wide eyes as their comrade ripped the blade through her hand and lit up the sky in Titan orange. The burning ball of light illuminated everything in its path, turning Ymir into a beacon as she fell. Ymir had jumped into the burning light and from the light, a hungry Titan had emerged with a blood-curdling roar.


	40. Stories Untold: Historia

_**"The relationship between Ymir and Krista is something to behold…these two people so vastly different, pulled together by their love for one another…I guess it's true what they say, opposites do attract"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

_**Winter 849** _   
_**Training Expedition, Yalkell District** _

_**"…The Titans only source of energy is sunlight, meaning that they can even move in blizzards. Freedom of movement under such harsh weather conditions can easily make the difference between life and death"- Cadet Training Corps: Snow Training** _

_**The 104th Cadet corps trudged through the two feet of snow as they made their way towards the cabins serving as their checkpoint. They were garbed from head to toe in full-length sherpa-lined parkas, woollen scarfs & gloves, and the winter uniform; leaving only the green military flags and torches dotted throughout the squads as their beacons scattered along the path.** _

_**It wasn't long before the checkpoint came into view. "Come on! You're almost there!" Smith encouraged, standing at the entrance to the checkpoint.** _

_**"Nine hours and twelve minutes" added Lawrence, reading off of the clipboard in his hand, "Not bad given the conditions you had to trudge through"** _

_**"Ugh! I thought we were dead out there" Eren sighed as he flopped to the ground, using his pack as a cushion, leaning against the wooden fence. "Dammit! Nobody said training would be this rough"** _

_**"Anyone else not feel their legs?" Jean asked, huddled to Eren's left.** _

_**"And some other parts" replied Ryan, jumping up and down on the spot as he tried to keep warm. Even with the large bonfire behind them, it was still freezing.** _

_**"Why won't they let us inside already?" Connie complained.** _

_**"I bet they're busy laying out a massive banquet for us as we speak" Sasha drooled.** _

_**"Hey! Have you guys seen Krista?" Reiner asked, jogging over to the tired group.** _

_**"Not for a while, she was with Daz and he wasn't doing so good" Mikasa replied. Now that they mentioned it, Ryan had begun to wonder where Edith was as well. She had been split up with them sometime ago, falling back in line with the squad behind them due to her struggle through the snow. It had been kinda funny to see her tiny figure practically wading through the snow at one point, though.** _

_**"Yeah, well he's not here and Ymir's not back yet either" Reiner continued.** _

_**"They're probably mixed in with the last squad" Bertolt suggested, joining the conversation.** _

_**"I think Edith fell in line with them at one point" Ryan agreed, "They can't be too far away"** _

_**"That's just it, Thomas was leading the last squad" Reiner turned to peer over at the last squad who had just arrived, "Says they never saw them"** _

_**"What?" Ryan breathed.** _

_**"Hold on, do you think they're lost?" Armin questioned.** _

_**"Man, if they get stuck out there in the snow storm, they're done for" Connie worried.** _

_**"Hn. Son of a bitch!" Eren muttered as he got to his feet and made to search for them. Only to be stopped by Mikasa who grabbed onto Eren's wrist, keeping him stationary.** _

_**"Eren" She scolded.** _

_**"I have to go back out there and try to find 'em" Eren excused.** _

_**"I'm with you!" Ryan agreed straight off the bat; his thoughts focused on Edith.** _

_**"In the cabin. Now" Smith interjected, ordering the group inside before they did something stupid.** _

_**"But Krista and-!" Eren cried.** _

_**"We know, a rescue team will be sent out a first light"** _

_**"They'll have frozen to death by then!"** _

_**"Do you want more people to die?" A strong icy wind blew through, ruffling everyone's feathers and backing up Smith's argument. No matter how much the cadets wanted to go save their friends, there was just no way for them to do it right that second.** _

* * *

_**The wind howled and the snow pelted down on the quartet like misshapen bullets. Edith tried her best to keep pace with Krista and Ymir, but it was hard, even with Krista dragging an unconscious Daz behind her on the sled. As the medic, Edith really should have been dragging Daz herself, but she had enough trouble as it was just walking through the deep snow.** _

_**Edith gripped tight to the top tied around her wrist, anchoring her to the back of Ymir's pack as she tried to keep up with the two, but for every step that they took, Edith took at least two, struggling her way through the thick snowbanks.** _

_**"Krista seriously, give it up. It's pointless" Ymir urged the blonde in front of her.** _

_**"No, it's not" Krista retorted, hauling on the sled as she tried to move faster.** _

_**"Dumb bastard's got one foot in the grave as it is. Nobody to blame but himself if you ask me. Shoulda known how much he could handle before he tried to boost his score" Ymir glanced over her shoulder at Edith who was trudging along behind them, her tired form just seen on the fringes of the torchlight. "Some people just aren't meant to be soldiers"** _

_**"Hey! I know for you, two feet of snow is anything to worry about. Y'know, when you trip and fall, get your knees wet, you're all like 'it's winter time!" Edith huffed up as she jogged over a shallow patch of snow, catching up with the group, "But for me, if I trip and fall in two feet of snow, I die. I am literally swimming through snow at this point"** _

_**"Then keep up pipsqueak" Ymir taunted tugging on the rope connecting the two. Edith merely pulled a face in response, although only her eyes could be seen from behind the scarf pulled up, over her nose.** _

_**"Look, he'll be long gone by the time you reach the foot of that mountain" Ymir continued, turning to Krista as she spoke, watching the blonde continue to trudge on. "At the rate we're going, we'll be lucky not to join him. It's a lose-lose situation. The way I see it, there's only two choices: leave Daze to the elements and save our own skin or die a cosy little quartet. What's it gonna be?"** _

_**"You left one out, the third option: you're completely wrong, I reach base in plenty of time to save his life and by morning this is nothing but a bad memory" Krista shot back, pausing in her steps. "There's no reason for you to stick with me, we'll only slow you down. You and Edith can make it back to base a lot faster on your own; Daz and I will be right behind you. Go on ahead"** _

_**"Yeah, nope that's not gonna happen. No way" Edith replied, picking her way through the snowbank as she moved as far in front of Ymir as the rope would allow.** _

_**"…So, uh, you got something against asking me for help, or what?" Ymir asked as she dragged Edith over to where Krista was struggling to continue dragging the sled. "Know what I think? I think saving this moron is the furtherest thing from your mind"** _

_**Krista froze at the accusation, her eyes going wide as she turned to face Ymir head on. "You're not worried about Daz" Ymir continued, "You're just using him as an excuse to die" Edith shifted on her feet off to the side, trying her best to not feel like she was intruding on their conversation, but she couldn't help but jolt at the theory, one that Krista did not even try to deny.** _

_**"This is how you want your story to end, right? What a shame, here I thought you were a good girl. Of course, if you could make it look like you were trying to save his life, no one would be any wiser. And hey, they'll remember you as someone who heroically sacrificed herself; that's just a small price to pay, right? If you're a selfish bitch" Ymir purred, leaning close to Krista's ear.** _

_**The last comment seemed to break Krista from whatever thoughts she had, as latched onto Ymir's scarf, yanking it down.** _

_**"That's not…I never meant…That's not me! It's just…" Krista cried.** _

_**"I know you, you're the mistress' daughter with the price on her head"** _

_**"How could you possibly…?"** _

_**"Uh huh, there go any doubts I had. Let's just say I have a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time. I snuck inside a church in the interior, once, scrounging around for whatever might keep me alive for another week. Quite a story I got treated to, apparently a high-ranking lord produced more heirs than his people were comfortable with.** _

_**An illegitimate girl was floating around, one they all feared would come out of nowhere one day and share in his legacy. Some wanted her dead, some wanted to strip her of the family name and hide her amongst peasant stock. In the end, the clever bastards forced her to join the cadet corps. Don't worry sweetheart, you're true identity is safe with me, I haven't told a soul and I don't plan to"** _

_**"So was…was your whole reason for joining the cases corps just to find me? Why would you even care?"** _

_**"I dunno, maybe I relate to your struggle" Ymir mused.** _

_**"So we have more in common than I thought?" Krista questioned.** _

_**"Well, uh, you could say that"** _

_**"Is it because…we're soldiers?"** _

_**"Could be, I'm not positive…uh, actually no"** _

_**"So why then? Did you want us to become friends?"** _

_**"Hah! You've got to be joking! The only thing we have in common is a second chance, don't try to read into it, okay?"** _

_**Off to the side, Edith shifted again as she hugged herself. The cold weather felt like it was seeping into her bones, plus being soaked in snow from the knees down and her frosty prosthetic arm didn't help matters. It was like hugging a block of ice. She knew she probably should've been more worried about Krista's apparent suicide threats thatYmir had just revealed, however memories of her Eight Mile neighbours threatening to do the same and never going through with it ran through her head.** _

_**It's not like she was actually going to do it anyway, Krista could barely kill a fly without being squeamish; how she was going to kill Titans let alone herself, Edith didn't know. At the same time that these thoughts were flowing through Edith's mind, another popped up as Ymir ranted. She was trying her best not to intrude on the argument between Ymir and Krista, but the last phrase that Ymir had uttered resonated with something deep within her.** _

_**When the words 'second chance' were uttered, a memory of a blonde and heavily scarred woman (she thought it might have been a nun with the way she was dressed) stood before her with a filled syringe in her hand, poised to strike. There was a clear expression of fury and hatred written across the woman's face that seemed directed at her. However the memory had come and gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Edith wondering where it had come from, or if she had just imagined it.** _

_**"…Unlike you I embrace the name I was born with" Ymir continued to rant, her tone filled with emotion as she did so "If I throw it away and reject who I am, they win. I intend to live my life, make my name mean something! Trust me, there is no revenge in the world sweeter than that! Look at yourself Krista or whoever you are! Been a victim all your life and how do you get your revenge? By becoming your own victim! Screw you and your stupid death wish! If you kill yourself, you'll be doing exactly what they want!"** _

_**"I…that's not how…I just…" Krista whimpered, "I didn't mean to get us into this and now there's nothing we can do"** _

_**"Bullshit!" Ymir cursed, looking down on Krista with an expression of contempt on her face. Edith was racked by yet another full-body shiver as she stuffed her hands under her armpits, trying to regain any sort of warmth she could.** _

_**Finally reaching her breaking point, Edith spoke up "Uh, I-I hate to b-break up…whatever this is. But I'm f-freezing my tits off over here and I'd like to get to the checkpoint b-before we get buried in s-snow" Edith shivered. With a huff, Ymir took the lead followed closely by Edith as the two were still connected by the frozen rope and Krista determinedly brought up the rear, dragging Daz behind her as they went.** _

* * *

_**A few moments later, the quartet emerged from the snowy forest. There they stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down on the checkpoint that was illuminated by the dwindling bonfires outside the snowy cabins. "The base is a straight drop from here, I say we dump him off the cliff" Ymir suggested.** _

_**"Huh?" Krista breathed.** _

_**"OR we cinch him up and lower him down like you do with flood victims" Edith suggested, peering down over the edge as much as she dared, "Sure, we'd have to stop to readjust our anchor a fews times, but it could work"** _

_**"It's possible, but we don't have enough rope for all four of us. Besides, he might even survive the fall. If they find him, then he might be okay. Sure it's a long shot. But look what we're dealing with…unless we're due for a miracle. Even if you live to drag him down there, all you'll have with you is a frozen corpse" Ymir shot back.** _

_**"But…if he falls, he'll die for certain!" Krista retorted.** _

_**"ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT!" Ymir turned from the edge and hauled Krista over her shoulder, taking her back towards the treeline. Edith stumbled after Ymir with a yelp, not expecting the sudden movement as she too was dragged backwards.** _

_**"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN!" Krista protested, slamming her fists against Ymir's back.** _

_**"I'LL handle Daz, you get moving!" Ymir tossed Krista down the snowbank, where the blonde rolled to a stop in front of the treeline and became buried under a pile of snow that fell from the tree she had bumped into.** _

_**Not expecting the sudden stop, Edith tripped over her own feet and fell face first into the top of the snowbank at Ymir's feet, effectively dropping out of the rest of the conversation. With a groan, Edith pushed herself up into a sitting position and tried to dislodge as much snow from her person as she could. Suddenly the rope around her wrist grew slack as Ymir untied it from her pack and moved over to where Daz lay.** _

_**"Uh, Ymir…Edith trailed off as she looked upon Krista's buried form with concern. She looked around when she oddly didn't receive a reply from the taller brunette. Not even a snarky grunt was heard. Edith wasn't sure what had happened, one moment Ymir was there, still attached to her and then next she and Daz were gone. Disappeared like a fart in the wind.** _

_**Peering over her shoulder one last time, Edith slid down the snowbank, uncaring about her already soggy coat, coming to an ungraceful stop next to the pile of snow where Krista lay. Without too much thought, Edith shoved her hands into the snow, grabbed onto any sort of purchase she could find on the blonde and pulled. Eventually, Krista emerged with a shivering thump as she landed on top of Edith, having been pulled on top of the older girl. "Are you okay, Krista?" Edith worried but the blonde ignored her, instead dismounting from her position and racing up the snowbank after the other two.** _

_**"No!" Krista breathed, "YMIR! WAIT PLEASE!"** _

_**Scrambling to her feet, Edith struggled back up the snowbank after Krista. "Huh? What's going on? Where did they…?" Krista wondered aloud as she searched for Ymir and Daz; the clifftop now free of the two.** _

_**"They've probably already left…Ymir did say she was going to handle it, right?" Edith suggested as she watch the blonde turn in circles, looking for the taller brunette.** _

_**"Right" Krista quietly agreed.** _

_**"Well…I think we've got enough rope for the both of us to propel down" Edith suggested looking down over the cliff edge.** _

_**"Yeah, okay"** _

* * *

_**It had been a couple of hours since all the squads had arrived at the checkpoint and the weather had really packed it in. The flurries of biting cold snow were unrelenting as they roared through the campsite and rattled the windows.** _

_**The cadets had all been rounded up and herded into the cabins by this point, each one occupied by a burning fire that sat in the middle of the room away from the wooden walls of each log cabin.** _

_**During that time, Ryan had taken to do anything to keep his mind from falling too far into his worries and dark thoughts. What if they'd gotten lost? What if they'd been trapped in the snow? What if more than one of them were hurt? The possibilities were endless. After being asked to stop pacing by Armin about a half an hour in, Ryan had resorted to various other things, like fiddling with his dog tags and scroll pendant, jiggling his leg, biting his nails etc.** _

_**It was fair to say that despite the other's worries, they were slowly becoming irritated by his actions. Currently, he had placed his and several of the others' water skins to hang over the fire, letting the water boil with the excuse that they could use them to keep warm.** _

_**"It's better if you guys let me do this alone" Eren reasoned, prepping to go outside, "Like our instructors said, we don't want anymore people to die than already have"** _

_**"That's preciously why I'm coming with you" Mikasa replied shortly.** _

_**"We can't just sit around and do nothing" Armin added.** _

_**"Really? What the hell is this?" Reiner asked as he and Bertolt emerged into the room, both shouldering their own packs as well.** _

_**"Look, don't try and stop me!" Eren cried.** _

_**"You're, uh, gonna need a lot more gear" said Bertolt.** _

_**"Especially if something's gone wrong and one of them are hurt" interjected Ryan as he stood to his feet and shouldered his pack, turning to the Shiganshina trio.** _

_**"You can't do this alone" Reiner ended, "Just like the folks you're trying to rescue"** _

_**"More eyes you've got in your search party, the better, right?" Bertolt added.** _

_**"Well, we…I suppose we can use all the help we can get" Eren stuttered.** _

_**"Good, 'cause we're not asking" Ryan replied as Sasha, Marco and Connie joined the group as well.** _

_**"And the storm sounds like it's letting up a bit" Marco added, "We should be okay.** _

_**"I brought some extra rations just in case" Sasha declared, raising the bagged items.** _   
_**"Thanks guys" Eren smiled.** _

_**The sudden loud sound of snowfall echoed from outside, catching the group's attention. "What was that? Avalanche?" Armin whispered as the group made their way outside to see what was going on. Once outside, the group discovered upon inspection that nothing seemed to out of the ordinary-not that they could see much in the snow storm.** _

_**"Look! Someone's coming!" Sasha cried spotting the two figures first. It was Ymir and Daz.** _

* * *

_**At least another hour or so later, by the time the snow storm had let up, Edith and Krista finally made their way to the checkpoint. Tired and cold beyond belief, but there all the same. "It's about time you two showed up" Ymir commented from where she sat waiting by the gate, "You two decide to take the scenic route or something? I told Reiner and the gang I'd wait out here to be your welcoming committee. So…yeah, I know. Stupid move on my part"** _

_**Edith let her gaze rove Ymir's hushed form as Krista spoke. "Daz, is he…?" she asked. Ymir didn't reply, merely looked towards one of the cabins where a tired and shivering man could be seen swaddled in blankets. Edith was a little jealous, those blankets sure looked warm.** _

_**Edith glanced back at the pair beside her who clearly wanted to talk amongst themselves, so she decided to make herself scarce. "Well, I'm gonna head inside" Edith murmured as she moved towards the closest cabin.** _

_**Inside it was quiet, not something you would usually associate with the 104th cadet corps, considering its members. Stepping through the door, Edith pulled her hood down, shaking the snow from her hair and stamping her boots on the welcome mat as she garnered the attention of those in the room. Behind her, the door closed taking the blast of cold air with it.** _

_**The group said nothing as she stood there, all of them wearing varying expressions of surprise and relief. "Maria's fucking tits! It's cold out there!" Edith joked as she made her way over to the lit fire that she had spotted upon her entrance.** _

_**"Eddie! You're okay!" Ryan, jumping to his feet and pulling the shorter girl into a tight hug.** _

_**"More or less" Edith replied as she pulled away from the hug and dropped her pack to the floor and sat in front of the fire with her hands raised, soaking in its warmth.** _

_**"Edith! Your lips are turning blue!" Armin cried inspecting the shivering girl.** _

_**"I would not be surprised" she replied toeing off her large boots and stripping off her wet overcoat and replacing it with the mountain of blankets that Ryan had handed her. Surprisingly, the rest of her clothes were relatively dry.** _

_**"What happened?" Reiner asked as Ryan fussed with the blankets.** _

_**"I fell over. Just flopped straight into a snow bank, face first" Edith replied as she tucked her feet underneath her; sitting cross-legged on the closest seat to the fire.** _

_**"Why'd you do that?"** _

_**"I didn't do it on purpose!"** _

_**"Edith, where's Krista?" Mikasa piped up from off to the side.** _

_**"She's outside, talking to Ymir. She's fine, just tired" Edith replied.** _

_**"Well, here. Hold onto these" Ryan said as he tucked three warm water skins under the blankets. One under each armpit and the third was hugged to her chest. Edith all but melted into the warmth surrounding her, a look of contented bliss on her face.** _

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Utgard Castle Ruins, Ehrmich District**

"YMIR!" Krista wailed, leaning out over the tower's edge with hand outstretched even as Ymir transformed before their very eyes.

 _Krista we are the same._ Ymir thought as the familiar Titan light enveloped her.  _I used to curse the day I was born, just like you. The world despised me for having the gall to exist. Hm. I thought the only way to put things right was to give up my life…but even then, what I wish for more than anything was to be given a second chance. A chance TO FINALLY LIVE FOR MYSELF!_

Titan Ymir tore through the gathered horde like a woman on a mission, leaping from one beast to the next; ripping out nape after nape as she went. "S-somebody…somebody tell me this is all a dream" Connie stuttered, staring down at the courtyard below.

"Ymir…" Krista breathed.

"It was her that day" Reiner breathed, both he and Bertolt suddenly recalling a memory from their childhoods where they had lost their friend to a Titan.

"She's the one…" Bertolt breathed.

The sudden movement of the shaking tower left the group to scramble for a hold as they were taken off their feet. Krista, who had been leaning out over the side, went tumbling down with a scream on her lips. It was only due to Reiner's quick reflexes (even with one workable arm) that he was able to grab a hold of Krista's ankle and pull her back up.

"Thanks Reiner, I…" Krista murmured, cutting herself off as she let out a cry of pain at his tightening hold. "Ah! Stop! You're hurting me!"

"Hey! Reiner! Let go!" Ryan ordered, moving forward to dislodge the blonde from Krista as Connie moved further forward and tried to help Krista down.

"Hey! That's enough man!" Connie cried, holding tight to Krista as Reiner subconsciously kept tightening his grip on her ankle. "Let go! LET GO!"

"I'm so sorry!" Reiner apologised as he seemed to come back to himself and dropped her ankle, letting Connie pull Krista to her feet.

"Mm, it's okay" Krista whimpered, trying to ignore her throbbing ankle.

"Tell me the truth, you had to have been in on al this"

"Huh?"

"Ymir's a Titan, how could you not know?"

"She never told me. We were inseparable and yet…I had no idea! I mean…how?!" Down below Ymir seemed to make it clear to the other Titans that she was protecting the lone humans in the tower. Her roars echoing across the landscape as she made her animalistic claim on them.

"I'm not sure what to think, all this time she's been keeping it under wraps. We never suspected a damn thing!"

"Well…it's possible she didn't know" Connie piped up, "Eren was caught off guard, he had no clue 'til he transformed"

"Then again Ymir did seem to have a plan" Ryan added, thinking about how she had asked for Connie's knife.

"Wait a second, are you saying that Ymir is a threat?" Krista exclaimed.

"Maybe, it's a helluva a power to hide" Connie replied, "How she'll use it is anyone's guess"

"For all we know, she could have been on their side all along" Bertolt suggested with a dark tone.

Krista didn't want to believe it.  _How could Ymir possibly be a Titan? She wasn't a bad person! Sure she was rude and crass and had a bit of an attitude, but that didn't make her a bad person!_ Krista thought as she watched with wide eyes as Ymir sprung forth again, this time getting swarmed by the remaining Titans.

"YMIR!" Krista cried, tears gathering in her eyes as she watched Ymir try to climb the tower once more; only for a five metre grab a hold of her ankle and yank her down. Despite her current situation, Ymir locked eyes with the group above her. She dug her nails into the stone as she looked up at her comrades.

Reiner and Bertolt both wore looks of shock tinged with rage, Connie looked like he was about to piss himself, Ryan's eyes had blown wide and his jaw hung open with worry hidden in his eyes. And finally there was Krista who stared down at her with teary eyes; ones full of worry and grief.

Making up her mind, Ymir did the only thing she could think of. She let go. "Whoa! What is she doing?!" Connie cried, watching Ymir fall down to the waiting Titans below. "Oh, come on! You're kidding right? She's worried about the tower falling down?"

"Exactly, she didn't have to stay, she could have chosen to escape. Nothing's keeping her here, but still she's fighting" Krista analysed.

"Do you think it's us? Do you think she's trying to protect us?" Ryan asked as he followed Ymir's movements down below. She was by no means a tall Titan; but what she had in size, she made up for in fight.

 _Who are you? Why are you doing this? Why?_  Krista thought as memories of the two together flashed through her mind. Krista's first drink, Ymir giving her a hug, falling asleep on Ymir's shoulder…the list went on. In a fit of impulsiveness, Krista leapt to her feet, standing on the tower's edge much to the surprise of the others there.

Ryan let out a yelp of surprise as he surged forward and gripped tight to Krista's right-hand wrist, holding her in place as the girl shouted. "DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! NOT IN A HOVEL LIKE THIS! DAMN YOU!" Krista shouted, repeating the same words Ymir had said to her in the snow.

"Whoa!" Connie cried, also moving forward and wrapping his arms around her waist, both he and Ryan keeping the girl in place should she decide to jump.

"YOU WANNA BE THE HERO ALL OF A SUDDEN?! HOPING TO GO OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY?! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! TOO LATE TO THINK ABOUT HEAVEN NOW! YOU'RE A SELFISH BITCH AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU'LL DIE PROTECTING THIS STUPID TOWER! TORN TO PIECE! YMIR! SAVE YOURSELF!"

It was as if a switch had been flipped on in her head as Ymir tore stone bricks from the tower and flung them at the remaining Titans, using them as projectiles and turning the tide in her favour. The victorious feeling was short lived however as the tower began to sway dangerously, before toppling over on itself.

"Shit! Brace yourselves people! This thing's coming down!" Reiner warned.

"YEAH! 'ATTA GIRL!" Krista praised.

"Oh we're gonna die!" Ryan muttered terror tinging his tone as he tugged on Krista's wrist trying to pull the blonde down from off of the ledge.

"You could be a little more positive!" Connie replied.

"We're gonna die quickly!" Ryan retorted as the two finally pulled Krista down from the ledge. And just in time too, as Ymir suddenly appeared, her Titan hands landing where Krista had been only moments before.

"Wanna live?" Ymir grunted, her Titan voice raspy and deep, "Grab on tight" Between the hungry Titans below and the one in front, Ryan knew which one he preferred. Following after Connie and Krista, Ryan leapt over the edge, gripping tight to Ymir's hair. Here they wrapped themselves around the strands of hair, hanging there like beads as they rode the toppling tower to the ground.

The remaining human rookies rolled to a stop along the dusty ground as they were thrown from Ymir's hair; coughing and spluttering. Gathering together, Ryan was able to see that the others remained unharmed apart from a few scratches and bruises. Himself on the other hand had gained a teeny tiny cut on his forehead that was just pissing blood; otherwise he was totally fine.

"Ryan! You're bleeding!" Krista cried upon spotting the cut.

"I'm fine" Ryan reassured her, holding his sleeve up to his forehead. Behind them, the Titans that weren't killed by the tower had emerged from the rubble, intent on having their kill.

"Huh? They're still not dead?"

"Hey ugly! You've got a job to finish!" Connie cried as Ymir raced off towards the remaining Titans; killing one of them before she was grabbed.

"Ymir!" Krista cried as more Titans rose up.

"That's not good!" Connie muttered as all remaining Titans swamped Ymir's hunched form, ready to tear her to shreds.

"Are they…eating her?" Ryan breathed.

"No! No, please!" Krista whimpered, climbing down the rubble as she moved to help her friend.

"Krista wait!"

"YMIR! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! DAMMIT! WE HAD A DEAL, REMEMBER? HOLD ON! I STILL HAVEN'T TOLD YOU MY NAME! I PROMISED YOU!" Just as Krista came within metres of Ymir's prone form, another Titan appeared from behind a piece of rubble, setting its sights on her.

"KRISTA!" Connie cried, as the boys tried to get to her in time.

But they needn't have bothered as reinforcements chose that moment to appear. They could only watch as Mikasa sliced through the Titan's nape, killing it instantly. "Krista, all of you, get back" Mikasa ordered, turning to face the remaining Titans. "It's okay, let us take care of this"

"Mikasa!" Ryan gasped as the other Scouts simultaneously brought down the remaining Titans.

"Hey, look! It's Eren!" Connie pointed over to where the boy had just landed next to his kill. "HEY EREN!"

"We found 'em!" Eren gasped as he spotted the quartet making their way over to him. Krista had gone off elsewhere, presumably to find Ymir.

"Sina! You guys look like shit!" commented Edith as she alighted down next to Eren, her gaze wandering over the boys in front of her and landing on Ryan with his bleeding forehead. "What happened to you?" she asked Ryan.

"It's just a scrape" Ryan replied pulling his now bloody sleeve from his forehead.

"Rose! Can't even leave you alone for a few hours!" She sassed, picking her way through the rubble so that she could treat him.

bending down so she could reach.

"And yet, it's pissing blood" Edith wiped away as much blood as she could, revealing the tiny cut before delving into her medi-pack at her hips. "Flowers or ducks?" she grinned, showing him the two packages of bandaids.

* * *

Once the perimeter had been secured, the rookies gathered on the edge of the scene between Ymir and Krista. "It can't be…She's really…?" Armin breathed as everyone stared at Krista cradling the steaming form of Ymir's broken body. What remained of the brunette's chest rose and fell slowly as she healed; she was missing an arm and a leg and Krista was quite literally holding her guts in. Hanji sat across from Krista, just watching on.

"Ymir…" Krista whispered, watching her friend for any sign of life. It was only when Ymir's eyes cracked open a sliver did Krista continue, "Just as promised, my real name is Historia" Ymir slipped back into unconsciousness, a small smile now present on her lips.


	41. Stories Untold: Warrior

" _ **It appears a hair-trigger temper, is the one factor all Titan shifters share…Eren and Reiner especially so"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850**_

_**"Seven Scouts camped at the ruins of Utgard Castle for the night…The Scouts found themselves overtaken by a Titan horde, their chances for survival were low. But when all seemed lost, one of their own made a shocking transformation…The main force of the Scout Regiment swooped in and engaged the enemy, the Titan assault fell before their blades. However, standing on the wreckage of battle, Eren and the others bore witness to another heartbreaking confession…"-Trials of a Rookie, Armin Arlert** _

**Spring 850**  
**Walltop, Wall Rose**

Rain had set in by the time the Scout Regiment had made it back to Wall Rose where they quickly set about hauling their supplies and injured up onto the Wall. "That's it! Bring it up slowly!" called Moblit, as he and others watched over the slow process of bringing up the injured, "Steady the ropes, please!"

"What's the verdict? How bad a shape is Ymir in?" Eren asked as his gaze followed Ymir's body.

"…Well, she's missing an arm and a leg and her insides are scrambled. If she was normal, she'd be a goner" Edith replied watching over Eren's shoulder.

"Normal huh?"

A grunt off to the side caught Eren's attention, pulling him away from where Ymir lay. Peering over at the noise, he saw that Reiner was struggling to climb up the Wall with one good arm. "Here, grab my hand" Eren offered.

"Thanks" Reiner grunted, as Eren hauled him up.

Off to the side, Krista stood in front of a pile of wooden crates where Ryan's bandaged form sat hunched, watching the conversation like a cat would a toy. Unlike her usual quiet disposition, Krista was outright begging Hanji to listen to her pleas. "Please! You've gotta believe me!" Krista begged with her hands clasped to her chest, "I'm telling the truth! Ymir could've run away any time she wanted and she  _chose_  to stay and fight the Titans to save our lives! She had nothing to gain from putting herself on the line like that. Doesn't that speak loyalties about where her loyalties lie?"

"Krista, anyone with a brain can see how much Ymir cares for you" Ryan spoke up softly, directing his gaze to the upset blonde, "Hell, everyone knows she'd do literally  _anything_  for you, no questions asked. In this instance, it just happened that she turned into a Titan to protect you. Sure she cares for the rest of us, but not to the same lengths as she does you. I mean, if the rescue at Utagrd was anything to go by…But surely you can see how this might affect everyone else? Whose to say what she would do if she thought that you were in danger because of her connection with you? What would she do? Would she do it again?"

Ryan hung his head once more, turning his gaze back to his clasped hands as he continued to think aloud. "I  _know_  you care for her, and she you. But the world doesn't revolve around you two; there are more than just you two in this equation. Surely you can understand that?"

There was a beat of silence as the two women before mulled over his words, Hanji clearly & analytically and Krista with a sour expression, her emotions bubbling near the surface. "She should have told us before, yes" Krista retorted after a moment, "She had no right to keep her power a secret and it's hard to look past how much humankind might've gained from what she's been keeping to herself. But I think…I think she was just worried about what people might do to her"

Krista paused, mulling over her next words before she spoke again, "Clearly her priorities have changed now. This isn't nearly as complicated as it looks,  _no one_  is closer to Ymir than me and there's no question in my mind about whose side she's on"

"Is that so?" Hanji questioned, "Well, under the circumstances, it certainly behooves us to be friendly. Her priorities aside, I wager what she can teach us about the enemy is beyond measure, probably. Even so, you say this isn't even as complicated as it looks, but from where I'm standing the world gets more complicated by the hour" She peered off to the side, watching the medic team set Ymir's prone body down as she healed.

"Oh uh, Historia Reiss? Was that what you said your name was?" Hanji said. Ryan perked up at the question, he too curious about the sudden name change.

"I did, that's correct" Krista admitted.

"Isn't Reiss the name of a noble family?" Ryan asked, latching on to the familiar name.

"Yes, it is" Krista bowed her head and crossed her arms as she replied; turning slightly away from the two next to her.

"Huh…Historia, nice ta meet'cha!" Hanji greeted, placing her hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Thank you" Krista breathed before saluting and making her way over to where Ymir lay.

Hanji then turned to Ryan, observing the young man's tired hunched form as he absentmindedly fiddle with his fingers in thought. Out of the soldiers stuck at Utagrd Castle, he was one of the least wounded with only the small cut on his forehead (now hidden behind a pink flowery bandaid) being his most serious.

"Ryan, what do you know about Edith's past?" Hanji asked, seemingly out of the blue. Her thoughts drifted back to Pastor Nick's advice about the young woman and the unexplainable anger Edith held for the Pastor. Hanji was eager to pry her brain open and take a peek at whatever secrets lay inside. But she needed proof first.

"Eddie? She doesn't really talk about her childhood much" Ryan replied, surprised by the sudden turn of events. He leant back against the crates at his back as he continued, "I mean she's mentioned Eight Mile a couple of times, plus a few siblings here and there but other than that…"

"Nothing unusual? Anything that stood out?"

"Uh…she likes the dark? I'm not sure what you want me to say…Is Eddie in trouble?"

"…Don't worry about it. Just thinking"

"Okay…"

* * *

"How's she doing?" Hanji asked standing over the group gathered around Ymir. Edith knelt of Ymir's right whilst Krista sat across from her, on Ymir's left. At the head of the group, Moblit stood hovering over them.

"Comatose, but stable" Edith replied "The bleeding's stopped though steam seems to be coming out over wounds"

"The best course of action is taking her back to Trost where the poor girl can get proper medical care. She's in your hands"

"Consider it done"

"Right then, on with our mission: finding the hole and patching it up" Hanji left Krista and Edith to watch over Ymir as she and Moblit made their way further down the Wall.

* * *

"Ah! Son of a bitch!" Reiner hissed, clutching to his wounded arm as pain pinged through it.

"You okay over there, Reiner?" Eren asked over his shoulder as he hauled Armin up onto the Walltop.

"Not by a long shot" Reiner replied, holding his head in his hands as Bertolt rose and glanced over at his friend, "Titan almost gnawed my arm off…It's pathetic! All I could think was…this is how I go"

"Hm…What else are you supposed to think at a time like that? You're only human"

"Don't you get it?!" It almost seemed like Reiner was having a breakdown; Bertolt couldn't help but feel alarmed at the sudden change in his friend. "This was my second time! Ugh! Armin, remember? Go on, tell 'em how Annie nearly crushed me like an insect"

"Yeah…" Armin breathed from where he knelt trying to catch his breath.

"That's twice I've nearly died now. What are the chance I'll survive a third time? This is what it really means to…what it is to be a soldier. Your spirit breaks, and the body follows…But no good whining about it now. Least not until we can plug up the Wall" And the calm mask Reiner usually wore was back in place, bringing Bertolt relief as he turned back to his task but kept an ear out for Reiner's conversation.

"That's true, you two have been driven far enough away from your home town as it is" Eren agreed as Reiner dropped his hand from his face, "This is it, this is where we draw the line"

"T-truer words were never spoken! Home! Let's go!" Bertolt stuttered as he detected an underlying message within Eren's words and making both he & Reiner unsettled at the insinuation. "We've been here long enough! Compared to everything else we've had to go through, the rest is easy!" Bertolt grinned, kneeling down in front of Reiner.

"You're right" Reiner breathed, the two teens continuing their conversation unaware of how little sense they were making to the others.  _It sounds like they're talking desertion!_  Armin thought as he watched the two interact. "We don't have much further to go before it's done!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Eren asked, confused beyond belief.

* * *

"Thanks, I needed that" Connie breathed as Mikasa hauled him up onto the Wall; Sasha hovered behind them.

"Are you injured?" questioned Mikasa.

"Nah, I'm okay. But Reiner's wounded and Ymir's sure seen better days" The girls followed his gaze over to where Ymir lay surrounded by Moblit, Edith and Krista.

"Who would have ever pegged her for a Titan?" Sasha murmured clasping tight to the clasp of her cloak. "Are they-?"

"Sasha!" Mikasa cut off.

"Are we all on the same page?" Hanji asked joining the trio with Ryan and Moblit hot on her heels, "We'll decide what to do with Ymir later, oh and Connie? Chin up, we'll order a squad to investigate your village but for now, stay focused. We want our energy on the task at hand, clear?" Hanji placed a hand on Connie's shoulder in comfort.

"Crystal" Connie chirped.

"It's troubling, you'd expect to see the area to be teeming with Titans" Hanji looked out over the land between Rose and Maria; her attention soon being caught by the approaching squads.

"Hannes?" Mikasa asked, the group joining Hanji on the Wall's edge.

"Is that the Garrison's advanced squad? Tell me they've located the breach" said Hanji.

* * *

"Wall's…perfectly fine" Hannes grunted to the group of Scouts in front of him whilst he clung tight to the Wall's edge.

"What?" Eren breathed bending down to help pull Hannes up onto the Wall.

"Spent all night trying to find out where they're getting in. But between Trost and Krolva district there's nothing, no hole anywhere"

"That's impossible!" Hanji exclaimed.

"We ran into a search party from Krolva and retraced their steps; not a single Titan on the way here either"

"But we know for a fact that there were Titans on this side of Wall Rose" Armin protested.

"C'me on, how much have you had to drink? Seriously?" Eren commented.

"Why you little-! Wait a minute, hold on what are you kids even doing here?" Hannes replied. That shut the Shiganshina trio up real quick.

"If there's no breach, then I guess we have to change tactics" Hanji mused, "We head back to Trost immediately" The surrounding Scouts moved to do as ordered, gathering all their gear for the trip back.

"You'd be smart to keep your guard up" Hannes warned the trio, "We'll go on ahead of you" He then turned and leapt off of the Wall, reuniting with his squad.

"How can there be no hole in the Wall?" Eren whispered.

"Excellent question, nothing like this has happened in five years. Why now, all of a sudden?" Armin mused as he, Sasha and Mikasa moved to join the others.

"Feels like everything is spiralling out of control" Sasha agreed.

"What if there's a species of Titan we haven't seen yet? Like ones that know how to dig?" Hanji wondered.

"That would definitely make their entry point hard to find" Moblit agreed.

"We can hypothesis later, our first concern is Ymir"

"Titans being a close second, even with the horses"

Eren made to move after them but was stopped by Reiner and Bertolt. "Eren, we should talk. You got a moment?" Reiner asked.

"Sure, I guess" Eren replied, turning to the duo.

"Five years ago, we compromised Wall Maria and launched an attack on humanity. I'm the Armoured Titan, he's the Colossal"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you telling him? Reiner! No! Stop!" Bertolt protested, shaking the blonde's arm. Not that it did much, Reiner just ignored him and ploughed on.

"We were on a mission, our goal was to ensure mankind's extinction. But now, there's no need for that. Eren, if you want the Walls to remain standing it's simple, just come with Bertolt and I. Did you understand?"

"Understand? What the fuck is there to understand?" Eren exclaimed.

"Listen to me! I need you to do exactly as I say"

* * *

_**"Lifts are required to transport materials across the Walls. Various mechanisms have been employed to not only make assembly and usage convenient, but also creates easy adaptability to emergencies…They are extremely lightweight"-Public Information: Lifts** _

Dark clouds and misty rain had set in by the time Eren had seemingly wrapped his head around the idea that the two comrades before him were in fact the same Titans that had taken everything from him and started it all.

"Look, I know this is sudden but we have to go" Reiner pleaded.

"Right now?" Eren demanded, "Where would you take me?"

"I can't tell you, not yet anyway. Just…think of it as our hometown, okay? So what's it going to be? Not a bad deal, right? Chance to avert a major crisis"

"…I'm not so sure. You expect to believe that after all that you expect me to skip off into the sunset with you?" Eren sassed, well aware of how much he sounded like Edith just then. Damn, she's rubbing off on me.

"You guys, get a move on!" Armin called having glanced back at the trio behind them, "We're heading out"

 _Dammit! I didn't want to believe what I was hearing yesterday._  Eren thought staring up at the grey clouds with his crossed arms, as his thoughts drifted back to the conversation in the Ehrmich stables 12 hours earlier.

Spring 850  
Stables, Ehrmich District

12 Hours Earlier

_**"Hm" Hanji hummed reading over the report that Sasha had just delivered.** _

_**"Captain? Is something wrong?" Eren asked.** _

_**"Huh?" Hanji looked up from the papers in her hand, "Oh, uh, well, I was finally able to get my hands on the background report on Annie Leonhart"** _

_**"Annie?"** _

_**"Yeah. It took longer than I was hoping for, the paper trail's a bit of a catastrophe at the moment. Bureaucracy, huh? Anyway, according there were two other cadets in the 104th Cadet Corps who hailed from the same region. I have their names: one Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover"** _

_**The gathered rookies couldn't believe what they were hearing, Reiner and Bertolt as Titans? Those two were about as far from Titans as you could get, what with Reiner being a big teddy bear and Bertolt barely saying boo to a ghost.** _

_**"Not much survives in the way of records" Hanji continued, "And thanks to the chaos five years ago, what we have on them is unreliable. However we do know that during the long-range scouting formation, their unit was given false intel; they were among those who were intentionally misled into thinking that Eren was in the right wing"** _

_**"Wait a minute, that was the section Annie attacked!" Edith gasped in realisation.** _

_**"What? What does that mean?" Sasha asked.** _

_**"Well it's entirely possible that they told Annie where they thought Eren was" Armin added on, following the same thought as Edith.** _

_**"Huh? Why would they do that?"** _

_**"Where are you going with this Armin? You can't just accuse-!" Eren interjected only to be cut off by Hanji.** _

_**"I totally agree, coincidence doesn't establish relationship. Baring that in mind, I'm curious to know how the three interacted while in training. What can you tell me?" Hanji stated.** _

_**"I knew Bertolt and Reiner were from the same region as Annie, but I never saw them act friendly" Armin admitted.** _

_**"Same with me, you'd never catch them shooting the breeze and when they did talk it was pretty curt. Plus it's not like Annie was very social to begin with" added Eren.** _

_**"Yeah at meals she always seemed to prefer eating by herself" Said Sasha.** _

_**"I've got nothing expect maybe that-" Mikasa started only to be cut off by Eren.** _

_**"Guys, what are we doing? These are our comrades we're talking about. Yeah, sure Bertolt never has a lot to say and Reiner's like everyone's big brother, y'know? You really think he's capable of lying to us?"** _

_**"Eren does have a point" Armin admitted, "Think about it, Reiner fought the Female Titan with everything he had and almost got himself squeezed to a bloody pulp in the process"** _

_**"What's the matter?" Eren asked when Armin let out a small gasp, his eyes widening as he continued.** _

_**"He pushed free of her grip at the last minute. Afterwards though, Annie changed her course, in fact she ran straight to where you were. I…I mentioned that you might've been rear of the centre rank. But there's no way she could of heard me, she wasn't in earshot at the time"** _

_**"You've gotta be kidding"** _

_**"Do you recall if he seemed unusually interested in Eren's location?" Hanji asked, watching on as Armin's eyes widen further in realisation.** _

_**"Oh no…I only brought up his position in the first place…because Reiner asked where I thought Eren might be" Armin breathed "Something else, once he broke free, the Female Titan stood there staring at her palm as if transfixed by something that he had carved onto it with his blades. Maybe Reiner…"** _

_**"…What is wrong with you people? The man's been with us from the beginning…" Eren tried.** _

_**"Well, so was Annie and look what happened there" Edith reasoned.** _

_**"But that's-"** _

_**"Enough!" Hanji cut in, "All of you, listen up. If we cross paths with the pair in question, don't give them any indication of what we have discussed and under NO circumstances are you to broach the topic of Annie Leonhart in their company. Before we can ascertain whether they're co-conspirators, we must find, lure and contain them underground. That's the plan, are we clear?"** _

_**"Clear!" Chorused the gathered Scouts.** _

"You're just tired, that's it, right?" Eren excused, clasping onto Reiner's shoulder almost as if he were trying to convince the blonde of his own words. "'Help me out here, Bertolt. You're nerves are shot, you don't know what you're saying"

"Huh, yeah, it's the battle fatigue talking!" Bertolt grasped onto the excuse that Eren had so unknowingly given to them.

"It's okay, you're okay. If you were the Armoured Titan, what's the endgame here? We wouldn't having this conversation in the first place! What did you expect me to do? Say yes? Go with you just cause you asked politely?"

"Right, not thinking straight, am I?" Reiner muttered, staring off into space with a crazed look on his face, "Barely know what I'm saying; must've gone off the deep end"

"C'me on, let's go" Eren turned to follow the others, hiding his face in the neck of his cloak as the wind picked up and took the ragged red Wall flag with it. The sudden noise caught the attention of everyone still remaining on the Walltop, their gazes snapping back to where the flag had stood only moments before. But it wasn't really the flag they were paying attention to. No, it was the ever-increasing conversation between the trio at the back.

"That's the problem, I've been here too long for my own good. Three  _years_  of this madness, surrounded by idiots. We were kids! What did we know about anything? Why'd there have to be people like this? Why? Why did I let myself devolve into such a half-ass piece of shit? It's too late now!" Reiner snapped, pulling sling off from around his neck, letting the dirty cloth fall to the ground by his feet.

"I'll be damned if I know what's right anymore! Who cares? It is what it is, there's no choice but to face what I've done" Steam billowed from the open wound on his arm plain as day, for all to see, "As a warrior! No road left but the one that leads to the end!"

"Reiner?! Right now? Here?! Are we doing this?!" Bertolt demanded angrily.

"Yes" Reiner hissed, "Right here, right now. WE SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Reiner charged at Eren only to be stopped by Mikasa who had suddenly appeared behind Eren with her blades raised. Slicing first through Reiner's hands and then through Bertolt's neck, she stood atop Bertolt, intending to kill him.

"EREN! GET OUTTA HERE!" Mikasa roared, baring her blade down to finish Bertolt off only for Reiner to knock her off and straight over the edge. Thankfully she was able to latch on with her ODM gear, but her nerves were shot. She had left Eren up there alone, whatever happened next would be on her incompetence.

"BERTOLT!" Reiner cried, turning to his friend who lay gurgling and clutching to his heavily bleeding neck.

"EREN! RUN!" Armin cried, leading the charge back towards the group as Titan light lit up Reiner and Bertolt, shooting high into the sky.

The shockwave that was emitted from the transformation sent everyone and everything flying into the air. Crates, gear and Scouts alike flew off of the Wall; it was only through sheer luck and determination that many held on. In a fit of panic, Edith had leapt over Ymir's form, bracing the two against the raging hot steam coming from the Colossal.

Where Reiner and Bertolt had stood only moments before the Armoured and Colossal Titan now stood. Well, not so much stood as enveloped, in the Colossal's case. Despite Eren's best efforts, the Armoured quickly gripped him tight, picking him up like he was a doll. At the same time Bertolt reached forth to grab Ymir.

"YMIR!" Krista cried following the large Titan's hand towards her friend. At the cry, Edith looked up in time to see the large hand growing closer. Thinking quickly, she straddled the larger brunette trying her best to keep the both of them grounded whilst still being mindful of Ymir's injuries; as she swiped upwards with her transformed prosthetic. The bladed arm sliced through the palm of the hand like butter, making the hand retreat quickly, before slamming down next to the pair, only just grazing Edith's prosthetic arm. Edith let out a wailing cry of pain at the sensation; even though it was only a graze, it was still enough to rip the metal limb from her body. Clutching tight to her bleeding lump of a shoulder, she didn't even see the hand coming back at another angle and swiping the two of them up in a tight grip until it was too late.

Tears streamed down Eren's face as he was forcefully taken by the Armoured; struggling on the tight grip around his waist, he couldn't help but think of all the times he had interacted with Reiner and Bertolt.  _ **"I'm going to return to the homeland that was taken from me" Reiner declared, "I will do it, no matter what!"**_

 _Bertolt, Reiner…Damn you! YOU TRAITORS!_ Eren bit down hard on his hand, his own transformation enveloping him quickly, tearing off Reiner's arm in the process. With a roar of anger, Eren let his emotions take control, promising pain and so much more.


	42. Stories Untold: Close Combat

_**"Reiner had always played the big brother role, even in our cadet days…but sometimes you could see cracks in the mask…there'd be days where he was all business, with nothing but a single goal in mind and then there were other days where he was jovial and caring…it almost seemed like he was two different people, a real Jekyll and Hyde"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Walltop, Wall Rose**

_Despite the situation, it's rather satisfying to see fist meet face in a fit of rage._  Edith thought as she watched Eren take on Reiner through pained eyes. The sudden removal of her prosthetic had been painful, but the added pressure of the fist currently squeezing the life outta her? Well, it was fair to say she probably wasn't going to start fighting back anytime soon.

"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Hanji ordered jumping out of the way of the hand that was poised to strike. Bits of rubble and debris flew everywhere as the hand came down on the Walltop where the Scouts had been gathered only moments before.

"It's got Ymir!" Krista cried, peering over her shoulder as she was hoisted up and out of the way.

"Oh hell! She's not the only one!" Ryan cried, watching on in horror as the Colossal cracked open its massive jaws and chucked both Ymir and Edith inside. "Shit!"

"No! This isn't happening!" Sasha gasped in disbelief.

"How could Bertolt…?" Armin whispered staring up at the scene before him. Letting a hiss of breath escape from between her gritted teeth, Hanji sprung into action.

"SOLDIERS! PREPARE TO ATTACK! THE COLOSSAL TITAN DOESN'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS! ITS A THREAT TO ALL MANKIND! SWARM AND TERMINATE!"

The Scouts followed Hanji up into the air, easily flying passed the slow moving fists of the lumbering half-giant before them. Using the ODM gear, they twisted and turned around the large fists, closing in on their target at the nape of the neck.

 _Freak's as slow as they say,_  Ryan thought, rage coursing through him as he closed in on the neck, intent on carving through Bertolt if he had to; anything to get Edith back.  _Size is all he has going for him! Compared to Titans we're usually up against, this one's a piece of cake! Simple!_

"HE'S WIDE OPEN! SLICE THE NAPE!" Hanji roared as four or five soldiers latched their wires into the back of the neck, ready to reel themselves in. Then, as if Bertolt had planned it, large amounts of compressed Titan steam came pouring out of every nook and crevice causing those who had latched on, to let go and fall back.

"Ugh! My hands!" Ryan hissed, clutching his throbbing burnt hands to his chest. Burns covered those who had been closest to the nape when the steam attack had hit. A cry for water went out for those who needed it, but there wasn't much else they could do at the moment.

Titan steam still poured from the Colossal at a violent rate, obscuring it from view. "Ugh! He's vanishing!" Hanji grit out.

"I don't know, something's different here" Armin interjected, analysing the scene in front of him, "The last time he disappeared it was more or less instantaneous. He's maintaining his form to emit heat, I think he's protecting himself! As long as he generates steam, our rigs are useless! What do we do?"

"Now? Nothing, except wait. Squads 3 and 4, take position behind the target. Richard has command"

"Got it" Richard responded as he and the two squads moved into position.

"Squad 2 stay put, Lawerence has command"

"Understood" Lawerence said.

"How long he can act like a blast furnace remains to be seen, but he'll come out of there eventually. When he does, we'll rush the big bastard. Listen up, I want you to forget about taking them alive: destroy them, no second thoughts! Armin, you're with me"

Turning on her heel, Hanji leapt off the Wall calling for Squad 1 and Armin to follow. "Right, Squad 1 look alive. We've got a date with the Armoured Titan!

* * *

_**"Though hard to notice due to overwhelming power and physiques involved, Titan-on-Titan battles are fundamentally the same human-on-human ones…Even submission holds and throws are effective, sometimes proving more potent than strikes"- Titans Through the Ages: Titan Hand-to-Hand Combat, Geoff Bramwood** _

The battle of Titans that ensued in the fields below enveloped the combatants in dust clouds and Titan steam. The punch that Reiner had thrown, had sent Eren flying backwards where he skidded to a stop, steam pouring from his wounds.

 _Reiner, you lying piece of shit!_  Eren hissed in thought, G _oing off on what it means to be a soldier, always talk about honour. Played us all for fools! Combat training must've been a joke to you! How much were you holding back? And here I took you to be a real stand up guy, calm under pressure, intensely focused, the sort of man who puts his comrades before himself. Damn you! I'd have given anything in the world to be half as strong as you, you're my hero!_

Suddenly Mikasa appeared, slicing through the nape of the neck only for her blades to snap off when they made contact.  _That did nothing!_  She thought  _He barely flinched when Eren hit him! And my blades don't even make a dent!_

Going in for another strike, this time Mikasa went low, aiming for the ankles. If she hoped to topple the Armoured, she was to be sorely disappointed.  _He's not like Annie! He's armoured from head to toe!_  She discovered as her second round of blades snapped off once again. "EREN!" Mikasa cried, pulling back and trying to rouse the healing Titan.

 _Hey…Reiner_ Eren thought, his Titan eyes rolling to watch Reiner strut forward towards him as if he had all the time in the world,  _You asshole! I don't know what kind of face you're making right now, but I hope you miserable pieces of shit are pleased with yourselves! I bet I could scout through the history of mankind and not find anyone whose a fraction as evil!_

Mikasa looked up from her futile attempts at piercing through the armour to see Eren raising himself up as his arms healed at a rapid rate.  _You should be erased! Trash like you shouldn't be allowed to exist! What was going through your head? You disgust me! Just thinking about your face makes my insides churn! You make me wanna puke! YOU'RE A PEST! A PEST! A DISGUSTING STINKING PEST! AND PESTS HAVE TO BE EXTERMINATED!_

Eren's fist feet face in a rage-fuelled punch, however it was Reiner's controlled punch that sent Eren flying back once more. The knock to the head must've done more than just bruise him, as Eren couldn't help but think back to a certain sparring session at bootcamp where he had been partnered with Annie once again.

_**Summer 848** _   
_**Sparring Fields, Bootcamp** _

_**"Ugh! Hey! Take it easy! That hurt!" Eren complained coughing up dust as Annie tossed him to the ground once again. "We're just sparring, just hold back a little"** _

_**"If you wanna hold back that's your business; but I defend myself assuming you're coming at me with everything you've got. Otherwise what's the point?" Annie retorted shouldering the unarmed rifle that they had been using. "Let's remember I'm a girl, I'm weaker, I have to protect my frail little body from big bad men" she continued mockingly.** _

_**"What? Ha ha Annie, very funny. You're a riot! Frail little nothing! I'm the one that just got shoved in the dirt, y'know" Eren pushed himself to his feet as he replied dryly.** _

_**"Good point" Annie dropped the rifle to the ground and moved towards Eren with hands on her hips, "That last move wasn't about whose stronger, okay? I was using a special defence technique; it comes in handy when your opponent has a few extra kilos on you"** _

_**She raised her arms up in front of her face, falling back into a familiar stance. "Trust me, you could benefit from learning it"** _

_**"Uh, what do you say we take a break for now…?" Eren tried, stepping back in surprise when Annie launched a right hook towards him. However the dodge did nothing as Annie feinted out of the punch and grabbed Eren around the neck and slammed him into the dirt. Eren tried to struggle against the tight chokehold around his neck; like most things that Annie did, she didn't hold back. He really should have learnt that by now.** _

_**"Right…that's enough…Annie" Eren gasped, trying to pull the tight arm away from his neck, "You can…let go"** _

_**"Come on, I've barely shown you how this works and you're already surrendering? It's a twofold benefit here, or don't you want to learn how to talk to women?"** _

_**"Fine whatever…just please…stop strangling me!" Eren gasped his facing turning red from the lack of oxygen.** _

_**"Ah, so you are interested in what I can show you"** _

_**Suddenly the tight hold Annie had on Eren's neck was released as Reiner as unceremoniously chucked towards them like a ragdoll. Annie moved on instinct, leaping out of the way of the large blonde but Eren was not so lucky. "Not really…sure I wanna know how you got here" Eren panted looking down at Reiner who lay across his lap.** _

_**"Hey Annie, your technique seems pretty solid" Mikasa complimented following after the partner she just threw through the air, "Teach me"** _

_**"I'm flattered but, it's a method for normal people" Annie sighed, moving round to face off against Mikasa "So why would you ever need it? Still I'm curious to know if it works on animals. Let's find out"** _

_**"This is really happening? Oh crap!" Eren gasped watching Annie fall back into a fighting stance.** _

_**"Hold up! Are these two actually about to fight?" Connie asked as a crowd formed around the two.** _

_**"This is gonna be epic!" said Sasha.** _

_**"Who do we bet on?" Phil called from the back.** _

_**"What do you mean? Annie" Marco stated.** _

_**"What?! Idiot! Dinner says Mikasa wipes the floor with her!" Jean declared.** _

_**"Which one of them do you think's gonna win?" Reiner asked Eren.** _

_**"Well I…how should I know?" Eren replied.** _

_**"Whatever happens I'm not cleaning them up" Edith stated crossing arms, well aware of the damage the two could do to each other.** _

_**"What? No! I'm not doing it!" Ryan protested, "Shoot for it?"** _

_**"Fine. One, two, three: shoot" The two held up a fist each and hit the palm of their other hand three times before showing their chosen symbol.** _

_**"Hah! Scissors! You have to fix them!" Ryan crowed, showing his rock beating her scissors.** _

_**"Fine!" Edith sulked.** _

"NO BACK DOWN! YOU CAN'T WIN IN A FIST FIGHT! MAKE A BREAK FOR THE WALL! RUN YOU IDIOT! DON'T BE RASH!" Armin cried watching on from his perch on the Wall. Down below, Eren rose once more facing off against Reiner consumed in his rage. "Oh no" Armin breathed.  
"He's consumed by his rage!" Hanji observed. With a roar Eren aimed a punch at Reiner once more, Reiner meeting him fist for fist. However Eren feinted out at the last second, twisting around Reiner's fist and tackled the Armoured to the floor in a familiar chokehold.

"What the hell is he doing?" Moblit questioned.

"That…holy crap! That's Annie's technique!" Armin cried in disbelief.

Eren straddled Reiner's chest, locking his legs around the blonde as he poised to strike again.  _You know what? There's no telling what you murdering hypocrites were trying to accomplish! Now that I think about it, your master plan seems to have a few holes in it._  Eren thought as Reiner struggled to push Eren off. Only for Eren to lock his legs around Reiner's neck and squeeze, hard.

 _MAYBE NEXT TIME DON'T TEACH ME HOW TO KICK YOUR ASS!_  Cracks appeared in the armour, running up and down Reiner's shoulders.  _It's working! I've got him locked! There's still a chance!_

Reiner was finally able to get a better grip on Eren, pushing out of his hold but so fuelled by rage, Eren merely shifted his hold and wrapped himself tighter around Reiner like a boa constrictor.  _YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!_  With a final tug, Reiner's arm was pulled clean off and thrown aside.

"EREN CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Armin called alighting next to Mikasa on the ground nearby, "RUNA AWAY! YOU'VE GOT TO GET CLOSER TO THE WALL! THEY'RE TRYING TO ABDUCT YOU! WE CAN'T LET THEM DO THAT! TRUST ME! ESCAPE IS OUR BEST OPTION!"

"You say that but, Armin c'me on, they're not gonna just let us leave" Mikasa retorted as Reiner rose to his feet.

"Both of you, fall back! Now!" Moblit ordered landing on a fallen tree behind the trio. Armin was quick to follow orders and MIkasa followed not long after, with a quick glance over her shoulder at Eren still facing off against Reiner.

* * *

The group on the Wall had to brace themselves against the brief shockwave of Titan steam that blew upwards from where Eren had shoved his healing arm against the Wall. "Nice one, Eren! Good call!" Moblit called form further up the Wall.

"Looks like he's in control again" Mikasa stated.

"Yeah but, Reiner's not just gonna let him go. You're right, escape's impossible!" replied Armin.

The sudden reappearance of Hanji came as more of a relief that a surprise when she landed on Eren's shoulder, "Listen up Eren, if we're going to get you outta here you've got to buy us some time. Stop Reiner dead in his tracks! Think you can manage to break off his legs with one of those joint holds? Our blades don't do much good against him, he can't be out muscled but he can be outsmarted if you play it right"

 _This is the one time running away guarantees victory_  Eren thought as Hanji returned to the group on the Wall and Reiner crept closer to him. _You guys are screwed for letting us see your true colours! You've backed yourselves into a corner!_

Suddenly Reiner broke out into a run, sprinting straight for Eren. The sudden change from the slow creep to the full out sprint caught Eren off guard so he put up no fight as Reiner shoved him to the ground and landed punch after punch.

 _Shit! The leg! Go for the leg!_  Eren clung to the right leg as rained down punches, some hitting. Pushing his away, Eren was able to get out from Reiner's hold; even with only one arm, Reiner was a force to be reckoned with.  _Dammit! There's too much power behind his attack!_

Reiner charged forward like a raging bull, aiming low to knock Eren right off of his feet. I can't dodge this! Eren realised,  _Well, if I'm gonna get slammed, then bring it!_  Wrapping his legs around Reiner's waist, squeezing hard. _Now it all boils down to strength! Dammit!_

With the added help of Mikasa who swooped down and sliced through the unarmed muscle on the back of the knee, allowing Eren to break through some of the armour surrounding Reiner's back. The struggle between Eren and Reiner paused for a moment as Reiner reared back and let out a roar very similar to Annie's. Up on the Walltop, Bertolt echoed his cry.

"EVERYONE BE ON GUARD!" Hanji called, "HE'S CALLING FOR BACKUP!"

"No visual on incoming Titans, yet" Thompson reported.

"I don't like this, there had to be some reason for that scream" Connie worried up on the Walltop as he stared down at the battle before him.

"What the hell?" Ryan cursed as an almighty crack off to the side caught everyone's attention and they watched as the Colossal teetered in place, "No, no, no!" The ribs holding the Colossal in place snapped in half and let the massive creature fall headlong towards where the two lay struggling.

"ABOVE YOU! LOOK OUT!"


	43. Stories Untold: The Hunters

_**"…The waiting game is not one I enjoy playing, it's usually long and tedious, especially if we're the ones waiting for something to happen in order to move on…anticipation is a bitch…"-Edith Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**  
**Wall Rose**

The backlash of the Colossal hitting the ground face first was enormous; unimaginable heat exploded upwards enveloping all in its path, human and plant alike. Those who could, held onto the Wall for dear life, some using themselves as protective covers for others.

Through all the chaos, Armin was able to just barely lift his head from where Sasha's arm had locked itself as she clung to him and watch the proceedings down below. The Armoured Titan had used the distraction to pin Eren to the ground, face first, leaving his nape completely free. Cracking open his jaws, the Armoured bared down on Eren's nape like a starving dog and tore through the flesh with its fangs; taking Eren along with it.

Then from the steaming Colossal, Bertolt emerged completely fine and carrying to figures. Ymir and Edith had been lumped together like sacks of flour with Edith practically sandwiched between Bertolt's chest and Ymir.

Even from his place on the Wall, Armin could tell something weird was going on. Not only did Ymir continue to -produce steam from her wounds, but Edith almost seemed to glow an eerie red.  _What the hell?_  He thought as he watched Bertolt carry the two with him, even as he latched onto the fleeing Armoured with the ODM gear he had somehow acquired.

"EREN!" Armin wailed watching his comrades disappear from sight, only the faint Titan steam rising into the air trailed behind them.

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Trost District**

"HEY! THE ADVANCED SQUAD IS BACK! GO! TELL COMMANDER PIXIS!" Two messengers thundered up the main road of the Trost District, headed straight for the group of Scouts and Military Police situated at the base of the Wall.

* * *

"I see, no Titans as far as you could tell, correct?" Pixis summarised from the report; bending over to talk to the crouched Garrison soldier before him.

"That's…correct, sir" Panted Williams from where he sat clutching to his water skin, surrounded by the MPs and Scouts gathered there. Behind him, Sasha venomously attacked her own water skin, gulping down the water like a dying fish.

"Hm, As I thought"

"But sir! A situation has developed! You see, we ran into another group on the way back to Trost; it was the Scout group led by Sergent Hanji. There were cadets from the 104th Cadet Corps with them, none of whom had equipment. This may sound crazy sir, but three of them…were Titans!"

"What the? Hang on a sec, seriously? You mean liker there were…three more? But who were they? WHO DAMMIT?!" Jean piped up as he listened to the report.

"Actually I, um…" Sasha stuttered, startled by the sudden interrogation.

"Jean, calm down" Erwin intervened, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "What happened when their Titan forms were revealed?"

"The Scouts engaged the Armoured and Colossal Titan in combat as best they could sir. But by the time our unit had arrived on the scene it was…too late. I'm sorry" Williams bowed his head in defeat.

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Wall Rose**

After having tended to the injured as much as possible with their limited supplies, Ryan left the others to take over tending to the smaller wounds so that he could take care of his own. Plopping down next to Armin and Mikasa, he set to work, singing a familiar tune under his breath as he did so, his quiet voice carrying over the Walltop.

_Holiest red dilly dilly_

_Holiest green_

_If I were Herald dilly dilly_

_I'd need a Blade_

Thankfully he had been atop the Wall when the Colossal had collapsed over the side, leaving him with only his burnt hand that he had received in the initial attack. Most of the others hadn't been so lucky. But still his thoughts weren't on himself, where they probably should've been. No, instead they were focused on Edith who had been taken along with Ymir and Eren.  _What did they want her for?_

_Who told you so? Who told you so?_

_Mother told me so dilly dilly_

_Mother told me so_

Next to him, Armin quietly listened to the tune as he studied Mikasa's prone form. Unlike the others, she hadn't been hurt too bad in comparison, however she had gained some serious bumps and bruises that would need treatment later on. The trio was soon joined by Hannes who had stuck around when the Colossal and Armoured had vaulted over the Wall after Eren. Ryan kept his head down and focused on his arm as the two talked.

_And if your dilly dilly heart_

_Feels a dilly dilly way_

_And if you answer yes_

"Aw man! What a mess!" Hannes commented looking out towards the horizon as he came to a stop in front of Mikasa's head, "Count you lucky stars we were all the way up here. The rest of 'em got blasted by steam and debris, not much they could do"

_In a pretty little Church_

_On a dilly dilly day_

_We'll be bound in a dilly dilly way_

"How badly is Mikasa hurt?" Hannes asked finally looking down at the younger teens.

"Well, there aren't any wounds to speak of. I think it's just a concussion" Armin replied.

"Could be worse I suppose" Hannes sighed resignedly "Armin, I've got food if you're hungry. You eaten?" Armin merely shook his head in response. "Be right back" Hannes reassured, ruffling the blonde's hair before walking off.

_Holiest red dilly dilly_

_Holiest green_

_Then I'll be Herald dilly dilly_

_You'll be my Blade_

"That song, what is it?" Armin softly asked, turning to Ryan who had finished slowly and methodically wrapping his burnt hand.

"It's a hymn, I think" Ryan replied, hugging a leg to his chest and staring out over the plains, "Eddie's always singing it; got stuck in my head"

"Oh" Armin broke the ration Hannes had given him in half and held it out to Ryan. "Here"

"Thanks" Ryan winced as he munched on the bland tasting ration bar, letting his thoughts drift into the past.

_**"Highly nutritious and used widely in the Scout Regiment…these consist of high-calorie crackers and canned food…They provide sufficient energy for the field, and the taste has been made to be agreeable"-Public Information: Field Rations** _

* * *

_**Summer 849** _  
_**Mirror Lake & Forest, Trost Bootcamp** _

_**"Eddie what are you doing?" Ryan asked peering down at the brunette who laid spread out on the mossy ground like a starfish with her basket of herbs and medicinal plants lain beside her.** _

_**"I'm melting! It's so hot!" Edith whined, shifting as her henley shirt clung to her sweaty body like a second skin, "I'm pretty sure my arm's welded itself onto my skin! You could cook an egg on me!"** _

_**"Don't be so dramatic" Ryan smiled.** _

_**She was right though. Even though it was the middle of the night, the temperature hadn't gone down all that much, still staying somewhere between melting and boiling. What he wouldn't give for a cold shower right now.** _

_**"Hey Ryan" Edith suddenly propped herself up onto her elbows and tipped her head back to stare up at Ryan; at the same time giving Ryan a pretty good view of the beads of sweat rolling down the valley between her uncaged breasts.** _

_**"Uh, yeah?" Ryan got out, relieved that he hadn't stumbled over his words.** _

_**"You wanna go for a swim?"** _

_**"Huh?"** _

_**"You wanna swim? In the lake?"** _

_**"B-but we don't have any swimwear"** _

_**And indeed they didn't, both teens were garbed in the coolest sleepwear they had. Edith had paired a pair of orange and purple polka dot boxer shorts with an old green henley shirt with the sleeves rolled up as far as they would go.** _

_**Instead of the usual braid she wore, her hair had been twisted up into a crown braid with wisps of hair falling this way and that. Even at her messiest, Ryan still thought she looked beautiful, like one of those forest faeries he'd read about.** _

_**In comparison to her forest faerie, he may as well have been a goblin. He had just grabbed whatever thing he could find, really. This turned out to be one of his grandfather's plaid shirts that had been cut into a tank top, leaving the arm holes to end somewhere close to his waist. And the pair of floral boxer shorts, which had been a gag gift from his brother.** _

_**"Well, then we'll just go skinny dipping!" Edith replied, breaking Ryan from his musings. However at that comment, all the spit in his mouth dried up and his heart rate picked up. Skinny dipping? He knew what that entailed…and this girl, this beauty before him had suggested it? He probably could've died right then and there a happy man with that thought in mind. "Come on, Ryan! Let's go!" Somehow Edith had risen without his knowledge and was now tugging him towards the water's edge with basket in hand. "It'll be fun, I promise!"** _

_**It would be fair to say that that was the slowest Ryan had ever changed, instead shamelessly gawking at Edith who easily stripped out of her sweat-soaked layers before diving into the lake and breaking the surface like a mermaid.** _

_**But who could blame him? The way the full moon illuminated her short figure, showing off the various scars the covered every curve of her body and the metallic arm that clung to her shoulder seamlessly.** _

_**All around him, the forest life seemed to pick a tempo, one that his heart held no qualms about joining in with, as he watched the beauty before him. Just like Edith, the nocturnal creatures had come out to play beneath the full moon.** _

_**Ryan felt like he couldn't breathe as he watched the little water droplets slide down her body as she pushed the wet hair out of her eyes, before she turned to face him. She looked like she'd stepped right out of a fantasy; she was otherworldly, a real piece of art.** _

_**"Well, what are you waiting for, Ryan? Come on!"** _

* * *

**Spring 850**  
**Wall Rose**

"Mikasa!" Armin gasped waking form his doze at the sudden movement next to him.

"Where is Eren! Where did he go?!" Mikasa demanded gripping tight to Armin's lapels and pulling him in close so that they were almost nose to nose.

"Woah! Calm down!" Armin protested as Mikasa dropped her grip and made to look over the edge, scrambling over Ryan's napping form in the process.

"Ugh! Wazzit? What happened? Whose dead?" Ryan yawned, propping himself up onto his elbows as he was jolted from his nap by Mikasa, who now lay unceremoniously across his lap.

"Wait! You shouldn't…we don't know how badly you're hurt!" Armin cried as Mikasa picked herself up and peered over the edge of the Wall.

"Ah! Watch the feet! Watch the feet!" Ryan muttered, trying to dodge Mikasa's flailing feet that were dangerously close to his crotch as the girl moved.

"Where is he?" Mikasa demanded glancing up at Armin and Ryan with sorrowful eyes as they two moved to comfort the girl. Down below, only a couple of smaller Titans stood along the base of the Wall where Eren, Reiner and Bertolt had fought.

"Eren, Edith and Ymir were taken" Ryan replied as calmly as he could, "They're gone, Reiner and Bertolt abducted them"

"Eren fought, but the Armoured Titan was just too…" Armin added on, sorrow tinging his voice.

"That was about five hours ago"

"Somebody's gone after them…right? Tell me someone went after them!" Mikasa questioned in disbelief.

"…I'm sorry" Armin apologised, unable to look Mikasa in the face.

"Why not?!"

"We wanted to, but the horses are on the other side of the Wall. Our only option is to wait. The mount's can't be hauled over until the lift's make it here and that take's time. There's nothing else we can do right now"

"Besides" Ryan continued softly, looking over Mikasa's shoulder at the others, "Sergent Hanji and the other officers are too injured to move. We don't have enough soldiers to form a scouting party; even a small one would need more than this. We're not experienced enough, we can't do this alone, do you understand?"

Mikasa gave a slow nod, her eyes shining with tears. She held her head in her hands as she tried to hide the tears dripping down her face, she was supposed to be the strong one, so why did she feel so broken? "Dammit! Not this again!" Mikasa whispered.

"Do you feel any pain?" Armin worried.

"No, I hit my head but I think I'm okay now. Don't worry about it. It's just…this isn't the first time I've been down this road" Ryan decided that Armin had everything under control and so he moved back away from the two and resumed his watch over the plains. "Except when Annie took him, I didn't waste a second, not one. That's how Captain Levi and I were able to get him back. But…it's already been five hours"

"Hey, Armin?" Mikasa asked placing the manky red scarf around her neck once more, "Why's he do it? Always leave? Always end up some place we're not?"

"Yeah, it does seem to happen a lot. Ever since we were kids, Eren liked to run off on his own and leave us worried sick. Who knows? Maybe that's just the sort of person he's meant to be" Armin reminisced.

"I don't want much, I just…want to be near him" Mikasa whispered burying her face in the scarf, "That's all. Is that so wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like you'd literally take anything else, do anything instead of losing them again" Ryan softly spoke up. He felt both Mikasa's and Armin's eyes on him, but he refused to move his gaze from the horizon. Like if he stopped looking, he'd never see Edith again.

* * *

A few hours later, the reinforcements had finally arrived. "They're here" Mikasa reported, spotting the soldiers running the length of the Wall.

"Is that?"

"Oh wow!"

"Ah! Commander Erwin! With MPs!"

"I never thought they'd ride on top of the Wall" Armin commented.

"Probably the quickest route here" Historia replied.

"For the record, I know you won't but I'd much rather if you'd stay behind"

"No! Not happening, nice try though. As long as Ymir's in danger, nothing will keep me here. Sorry, that's just how it is"

"I'm with you" Ryan added, his arms crossed as he stood next to Connie.

"What do you mean, Ryan?" Armin asked.

"Whether you like it or not, there's nothing that'll keep us away" He glanced back at Armin, a small smile on his face, "Besides, Eddie owes me a dance and I plan to collect"

"They're right" Connie agreed, "We're all in this together, Armin. You're not special, we all have a reason for going. Still trying to process mine to be honest: I have to know why Reiner did what he did. I wanna ask them while I look 'em dead in the eye"

When Commander Erwin and the reinforcements finally reached them, Moblit rose to meet him. "Good to see you Commander Erwin, glad you're here"

"Is the situation still the same?" Erwin asked, dismounting from his horse.

"Yes sir"

"Good" Turning to the others, Erwin gave out his orders "Right, deploy the lifts!"

Moblit jolted at the sudden grip on his ankle, making him look down at the person clinging to him. "Ah! Hanji!" he cried.

"Don't just…stand there…Give me…a map" Hanji rasped, barely holding onto consciousness. It was clear her injuries were still giving her trouble, considering she had practically dragged herself over to the two.

A few moments later, those not operating the lifts were crowded around the Hanji and the map lain before her. "It's a gamble, but…the trees in this forest are massive. I say we ride straight for it" She gestured to the large cluster of trees on the map, "See, if they had a way to cover the Armoured Titans footprints…this is almost definitely where we would find them"

"Why's that?" Erwin asked.

"They need to re-coop, they have the power to assume Titan form but other Titans on that side of the Wall still pose a threat. Especially after putting up such a fight. Yes, Eren was the worst for it, but they've got to be spent" Hanji pushed herself up onto her elbows so that she could meet Erwin's gaze easier.

"Remember when Annie went out cold? Let's suppose they're headed somewhere beyond Wall Maria; that's not a simple hike, they'll need all the rest they can get before travelling that kind of distance. They're in no shape to make it in a single push and if so, they'll want to catch their breath somewhere the other Titans can't them"

All eyes focused on the map and the brunette before them as she continued to lay out the plan, "Odds are they'll hold out until it gets dark. We have until sundown, if we can reach the forest by then we might just have a chance to save them!"

* * *

 **Spring 850**  
**Titan Forest, Beyond Wall Rose**

Edith woke with a gasping breath, coughing and choking on the saliva stuck in her throat. Quickly rolling over, she lay there trying to get rid of the bile climbing up her throat. She barely acknowledged the sounds of disgust next to her or how the ground beneath her felt curved and rough.

Eventually she stopped coughing and hacking, instead flopping onto her back as she tried to regain her breathe; her eyes stayed scrunched shut at all times. The last thing she remembered was cursing her luck as she was chucked unceremoniously into yet  _another_  Titan mouth.

Even with her eyes closed she knew she wasn't alone; she could feel at least two other presences nearby. Who knew how many more there were? Ultimately she was able to peel her eyes open with a groan, even as she lay there panting with a line of bile dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

Upon inspection, Edith found that she seemed to blanketed by the hot steam that was emitted from Eren and Ymir on either side of her. Barely lifting her head off of the branch upon which she lay, she could see that Reiner and Bertolt occupied the tree across from them.

"You're awake" Reiner's voice came from in front of her. He sounded like he hadn't just kidnapped three of his comrades or revealed that he and Bertolt were the Armoured and Colossal Titans respectively.

"Welcome to the land of the living" Ymir sassed from her right as Edith let her head drop back down on the branch, closed her eyes against the sun rays and rested her remaining arm across her stomach.

"I've never…said this before" Edith panted, "But stop…eating me!" The boys choked and burnt red at the innuendo. Ymir barked out a laugh.


	44. Stories Untold: Opening

_**"Despite what people may think about the relationship between Bertolt and Reiner, Bertolt was the one who wore the pants…he never liked the spotlight, always preferring to operate behind the scenes, pulling the strings…"-Edith Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, Wall Maria**

"Ah! What the hell! What happened to my arms?!" Eren exclaimed, rescuing his stumpy forearms from their confines within his tattered cloak.

"Eren" Ymir called waving her healing arm and leg, "I'm not in any better shape here. Seems we're both having a shit day"

"Ymir…W-what did they do to me?"

"Sorry about that" Reiner apologised, "That was…that was my fault. You can pin your injuries on me, guess I was in kind of a hurry back there. Bit your nape without thinking about your nape"

"Is that right?"

"What are you two so pissy about?" Edith piped up from where she had propped herself up against a smaller outcropping branch off to the side, "At least  _your_  limbs grow back" She gestured to the steam pouring from both of their stumpy limbs, enveloping the two where they sat.

"Uh…Edith?" Eren started, staring at the girl with eyes blown wide.

"What?" Edith asked looking over at Eren once she opened her eyes from where she had been enjoying the warm breeze drifting through the canopy. Glancing around the clearing, she noticed that the others had also locked their gazes on her with varying expressions of surprise and shock.

"Edith, you're…glowing!"

"Uh…thanks?"

"No, I mean your hand is literally glowing bright red!"

"Huh?"

Edith glanced down at her one whole hand to see that it was indeed glowing or at least it appeared that way. All her veins seemed to bulge and twitch beneath her skin and the glow that emanated from the nerves seemed to create a network that wrapped around the limb.

"Huh, that's new" she commented softly as she inspected the healing limb, "But where…? Oh that  _bitch!"_  Edith exclaimed as she remembered the sudden appearance of the old nun in the courthouse after Trost; the one who had injected her with…something.

"Who? What's going on, Edith?" Eren demanded, his gaze roving over the glowing brunette across from him. He didn't receive a reply.

"You're a Herald, aren't you?" Ymir interjected, rolling straight over any other comments from the boys.

"W-what? What are you talking about?" Edith choked out as her eyes snapped up, locking on the taller steaming brunette.

Suddenly her heart felt like it was jackhammering out of her chest as she rocked forward onto the balls of her feet with her one good arm keeping her balance. She knew she must've paled at the question, making the glowing nerves stand out even more against her palor. The world seemed to narrow around Ymir and Edith, blocking out their surroundings. Ymir simply let a smirk grace her features as she recited a long buried verse.

_The gem was born of evil's fire,_

_The gem shall be Her portal._

_She comes to claim,_

_She comes to sire_

_The end of all things mortal_

It all happened in an instance. Edith was suddenly there, gone from her perch next to the outcropping branch and pressed close to Ymir with her hand wrapped tightly around her neck. The sudden speed of her movements caught the others off guard; even down a limb, she was still a force to reckoned with, something that seemed to dawn on the others at her sudden action.

Despite her mocking words and smirk earlier, Ymir couldn't help but let out a raspy gurgle as Edith squeezed her grip tighter. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Eren exploded, jumping up at the sudden motion. Both Reiner and Bertolt jolted at the sudden movement, hands flying towards their ODM gear out of habit more than anything else.

Below them, Edith continued to press closer to the taller brunette, leaving them practically nose-to-nose. In any other scenario, Edith would probably be at a disadvantage against a fight against Ymir, but here and now with the odds tilting in her favour, she was the stronger opponent and she fully intended to take charge of that.

"EDITH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Eren demanded. Edith ignored him as the chokehold drew tighter and tighter around Ymir's neck, causing the taller girl to gasp and gurgle for air. Despite the situation, Ymir defiantly met Edith's narrowed murderous eyes; silently taunting her go further. Leaning in close, Edith placed her lips next to Ymir's ear as she spoke venomously. "You shouldn't use words you don't understand"

Edith had barely rested in that position for a moment after she had spoken, when she felt a hand on her shoulder rip her away from Ymir and unceremoniously dump her on another branch away from the two. Bertolt then proceeded to tie her arm against her side, effectively immobilising her movements but that didn't stop her from glaring venomously at those around her.

"Ymir, are you okay?" Eren asked, crouching next to the brunette as she sucked mouthfuls of oxygen back into her lungs. Ymir merely gave a weak grin in response. "What the fuck was that?!" Eren demanded, turning to where Edith now sat at Reiner and Bertolt's feet.

"What, are you a Titan too?" Eren questioned, still tensed.

"Her? A Titan? Ha! Don't make me laugh!" Ymir barked joyfully.

"Well, then what? What was that? What's going on? What are you?"

"It's none of your business Eren" Edith spat.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you little Herald?" Ymir panted with a smirk, tilting her head towards where Edith sat tied up. Edith merely pulled her lips back in a snarl, releasing a guttural growl from the back of her throat.

"Herald?" Reiner piped up, picking up on the words that brought forth reactions from the brunette at his feet.

"Oh you have no idea what shit you just stepped in!" Ymir cackled.

_**"The abilities of a Herald are otherwise unknown…powers beyond your wildest dreams…blessed by the Holy Mother Ymir, the three Heralds are her messengers and daughters…Maria, Rose and Sina…sent to us by her Holy majesty…and touched by the Stone" -The Trio of Heralds, Anonymous** _

Whatever usual fury swelled inside Eren met its boiling point as he bit down hard on his forearm, intending to shift into his Titan. "Eren! Don't do it!" Bertolt chided rising from his crouch.

"Easy there hot head" Ymir cautioned having calmed down enough to pull Eren's limb from his mouth "Take a look at where we are, this is the Titan Forest within Wall Maria. Wall Rose is leagues away; which means we're deep in the heart of Titan country.

See? I think our buddy down there is an Abnormal. It may look like he's just kicking back but those eyes haven't left us once. Lots of smaller ones down there too, that's plenty bad enough and another big one over there: fixated but keeping his distance, strikes me as the shy type" Ymir pointed out the lay of the land to the boy.

"And then there are these chumps" She gestured to Reiner and Bertolt "Dirty bastards. They had the foresight to suit up in full gear; course Reiner took yours. Point is changing into a Titan isn't going to accomplish very much right now. One: they can do the same thing if they want, two: they can zip into the trees if not, three: we're basically surrounded on all sides. Power or no power, getting out of this will be tricky as hell; even at the best of times. You read me? There's nothing to gain by being a dumbass"

"She's right" Reiner interjected, "You can't turn into Titans right now anyway, so don't count on that ability coming to your rescue. Your body can only take so much; it's a little preoccupied with healing at the moment"

"Nice try, you expect me to sit here and take the word of liar?" Eren spat back.

"…Yeah, well, we're sort of at a disadvantage here" Ymir continued, breaking up the tense moment, "It's not like we know the ins and outs of how this works; unlike you guys, I'm basically clueless about the whole thing"

Ymir looked up from her steaming arm and her musings, catching Reiner's attention. "Hey! Reiner! You said you'd start talking once Eren & Edith were up, don't 'cha think  _someone_  explains what you plan on doing with us?"

"…We're taking you to our hometown. Of course I realise none of you are just going to do as I ask. Like Ymir was saying though, this place is crawling with Titans, they're everywhere. We could beat the living shit out of each other if that's what you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. Our friends down below are hungry and not prone to discriminate. Whether you try to cut and run or stick around,  _believe_  me when I say our options are limited. We wait for nightfall"

"So why didn't you just stay in Titan form and run all the way home? What's the point in stopping here in the first place? You get winded and had to take a break?" Ymir questioned.

"Why don't you use your imagination?" Reiner retorted.

"It's obvious isn't it? The transformation is too taxing, even for someone with experience" Edith spoke up, nodding to Reiner and Bertolt, "I mean, Bertolt didn't even have legs and he looks like he's about to tip over"

 _Lemme think_  Eren bowed his head in thought,  _Suppose I wait for an opening; if I assume Titan form then running away wouldn't be that much of a challenge. Question is, can I assume Titan form in this condition? Reiner doesn't seem to think so and it's not like he and Bertolt would risk stopping here without a good reason. What if I couldn't transform to full strength? Does that mean the other Titans would be able to eat me?_

"So we're just going to sit on our asses, having a chinwag until the sun goes down?" Ymir asked.

"It's a possibility" Reiner replied.

_No, why give us the chance to recover? If they wait for nightfall, we'd only be harder to rein in. They'll make their move while we're still helpless. At this rate I can't do anything! We're screwed! But what happened to everyone else? Where are the Scouts? Don't tell me they're coming here to save us! Oh God! If they show up, none of them…_

"Wait a sec, those Titans at the castle had no problem moving around at night. What's stopping these guys?" Ymir asked.

"The Titans here can't move after dark; but then again, you know all about that, don't you Ymir?" Reiner taunted.

Eren peered over at Ymir  _How is it that she's able to transform into a Titan? It doesn't seem to catch her off guard like it did for me. What's her angle? Whose side is she on in all this? And I thought she was hard to read before…_  His gaze then returned to face the front, this time landing on where Edith lay tied up,  _And what's with her? Why all this shit about Heralds and gems? Why was she glowing before? It doesn't make any sense!_

Eren's thoughts then turned inward, an expression of gritted determination crossed his face as he glared up at Bertolt and Reiner, _I've decided. I need information, anything I can get. I've gotta keep my eyes and ears open, and when the moment comes, make a break for it. Before I can do that though…I have to keep my emotions in check. Give myself a chance to recuperate._

_**"The ability to transform into a Titan comes with a secondary ability to heal at astonishing speeds…They can have their limbs torn off or their organs destroyed and as long as the wound isn't fatal, they can heal perfectly…given enough time"- Titans Through the Ages: Titan Shifters' Healing Powers, Geoff Bramwood** _

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Plains, Wall Maria**

"We've got a red smoke flare fired from the right wing" Reported one of the captains behind Erwin.

"We stay the course" Erwin replied gruffly, "Tell the right wing to merge with the centre and maintain direction. The shortest route is our only option; straight ahead, we have until sundown!"

* * *

Further back in the formation, Ryan kept close to the other Rookies who had been cluttered together this time around. "Mikasa! Hey Mikasa! Hello!" Hannes called out to the girl unintentionally leading the group, "Stop pushing so hard; you're drifting up into the vanguard. You wanna break the whole formation? Look, I know how you feel, but what did I tell ya? It's not like Eren'd let those assholes get the best of him without a fight. Agreed?"

"Hm"

"Kid just doesn't have it in him to give up, all we gotta do is have a little faith that he can hold his own until the rest of us can get there. Always has, always will"

"Besides, Edith's with 'em too" Ryan called forth, "And you've seen what she can do"

"But she lost her prosthetic" Armin argued.

"What's your point?" Ryan grinned.

Up ahead, Mikasa buried her face into her red scarf, a look of determination falling into place as the group pushed on through Titan territory.

* * *

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, Wall Maria**

The sun had begun to set by the time the heat had set in. The steam pouring off of two healing Titan shifters didn't help matters. "Hey Reiner, got any water?" Ymir asked fanning herself, "C'me on, help a girl out. I'm dying over here"

"Sorry there's not a helluva lot I can do, even if it is a matter of life and death" Reiner replied, ignoring the still bound (and now leashed) Edith who now stood alone on her own branch and drank from the giant leaves that decorated it. Boy was she glad that it had rained yesterday!

"Huh, well, that's comforting" Ymir sighed looking down at her arms, the majority of which were healed (the only things left were her hands), "At least now we know where we stand"

"Speaking of which, we've been working our asses off with no food, no sleep, nothing. Ever since those Titans showed up, that  _was_  yesterday, right?" Reiner mused aloud; his attitude changing to one that was more reminiscent of his cadet days.

"Yeah, we're lucky the Wall hasn't been destroyed" Bertolt muttered.

"Still you'd think that'd mean they'd give us a break and don't even get me started on a promotion"

"What the hell?" Bertolt and the others stared at Reiner as if there was something wrong with him, and maybe there was.

"What? Aw, c'me on, I don't think that's too much to ask, don't you? God knows we've done our fair share of heavy lifting, all things considered. I mean I get it, we're soldiers, duty first and all that. It's just nice to be acknowledged"

"You bang your head or something?" Ymir smirked, "What are you even talking about? Seriously?"

"Don't give me that, I'm not saying we storm in and demand the rank of Captain or anything" Reiner defended.

"No, that's not what I mean"

"Oh yeah! Where'd you find that canon by the way? I owe you one for saving my bacon. Really nice of Krista and Ryan to patch me up afterwards, I'm starting to think that her and I might become a thing, right? It's not just me, she always treats me like…"

"HEY! What's wrong with you?" Eren exclaimed, jumping to his feet as he stared up at the blonde before him, "You've gotta be kidding me"

"Huh? What are you babbling about? Take it easy man, is it something I said or…?" Reiner replied.

"IF YOU WANNA DIE THEN JUST KEEP TALKING!"

"Hold on, Eren" Ymir interrupted, "I think someone's gone off the deep end. Is that what this is Bertolt?"

"Oh" Edith spoke softly as she realised what must've been happening. She recognised the symptoms somewhat, only having read about it and having only seen it once or twice at the clinic. But that didn't mean the transition between personalities wasn't unsettling.

"What? If you know something we don't, now would be a good time to put it on the table"

"Reiner's got M.P.D. hasn't he?" Edith turned to Bertolt, completely ignoring the look she was getting from Reiner.

"M.P.D.?" Eren questioned.

"Multiple Personality Disorder" Edith explained, "It's what you call when someone was more than one 'person' within them. For Reiner it seems to be a Soldier: the one we know and a Warrior: the one from his hometown. Am I right?"

Bertolt's expression was filled with sorrow as he turned to the blonde, hugging his long legs to his chest. "Reiner, snap out of it. You're not a soldier, okay? You and I…we're warriors, remember?"

"…Right, I see. That's how things are" Reiner murmured after a pause, his demeanour shifting back as the Warrior took over once more.

"What the hell's he doing?" Eren asked, still not quite getting it as he watched the blonde break down in tears.

"It's like Edith said, it's like the poor bastard's mind is…compartmentalised. Everything he does is contradiction in turns, he can't help it. On one hand, he's warrior bent on pushing mankind passed the brink, on the other he's pretending to be a soldier. I'm thinking, maybe he got a little lost in the role.

See he  _can't_  resolve those facets of himself, can't bare the weight of what he's done; the only way for him to manage his conscious to for him to fall for his own lies. He thinks he is a soldier. This is what you call a split personality, he's gone insane. His heart and mind are at war with each other and judging by Bertolt's expression? This isn't the first stalemate. Blows me away that someone as honest as you, is losing their grip?"

"SHUT UP! Not another word!" Reiner spat.

"I'm sorry, must've really hit a nerve" Ymir mocked.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Eren asked, "Where do you get off pretending to be the victim? You're wallowing in self pity? How dare you! What was going through your head the day I told you my story, huh? Remember that Bertolt? I'm talking to you, lackey! I told you  _everything_  and you sat there and looked me straight in the eyes and watched me relive seeing my mother bring eaten alive! Don't you remember? Well, it just so happens that the chunk of Wall you kicked out fell on our house; it's what kept her from being able to run away. Ring any bells? Lemme ask you again, what was going through your head when I told you that story?"

"Want me to be honest?" Replied Bertolt, "In the moment I felt sorry for you"

"Huh?…Sorry, for me?" Eren breathed, "So then, you're not…you're not warriors or soldiers, you're just murderers. Psychotic mass murders who snuffed out the lives of people who never did you any wrong!"

"D'YA THINK I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT FACT?! I DON'T NEED YOU SHOVING IT DOWN MY GODDAMN THROAT!"

"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'VE GOT ANY RIGHT TO FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF! WE'RE LIVING IN A HELL YOU TWO CREATED! ARE YOU PROUD OF YOURSELVES?! YOU'RE NOT ONE OF US! YOU'VE NEVER BEEN! YOU'RE NOT EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE!"

"APOLOGISES? IS THAT WHAT YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF CALLING US MURDERERS? DO YOU WANT US TO FEEL BAD? WANT US TO TAKE THE BLAME? WHO'RE YOU TALKING TO? THE PEOPLE YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW DON'T EXIST, THEY'RE DEAD! BUT HEY, IF SCREAMING DOES IT FOR YA, GO AHEAD AND SCREAM YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!"

"…You're right, who am I? What do I know? Still, I gotta do something, anything. I swear to you, one way or another, the two of you will pay and it's gonna hurt

"Are you two done?" Edith asked tiredly from where she sat.

"What are you talking about?" Eren demanded.

"Well, it's always the same with you; someone offends your sensibilities, you bring up the fact that you were there when Maria collapsed, you watched your mother die before you, Scouts above the others, you're gonna kill all the Titans despite the fact you are one yourself. Need I go on?"

"Why you-!"

"Look we get it, your life sucks. But quit whining! I was in Shiganshina too and you don't see me whinging" Behind her Reiner and Bertolt jolted at the admission, possibly unaware they had another person hailing from Shiganshina in their midst.

"Yeah, but that's cause you're family's still around! You didn't watch your family die!"

"Do you  _ever_ think before you speak? My family are dead, like yours, like theirs, like everyone else in this goddamn hell"

"So what? You just wanna let these assholes go free?!"

"I didn't say that, I've plenty in mind about what I wanna do with them. None of them pretty, but unlike  _some_ , I know when to keep my emotions in check"

"Why you-!"

"And what's worse? I've got trained assholes hunting me down cause of something that happened when I was a kid. So quit whining, you're not that special"

"Hunting? Is this about that Herald thing? What's going on?"

Edith just gave him a sad smile in response.

"Hm, tell me something" Ymir spoke up, "What's with the giant monkey?"

"Monkey? What are you talking about?" Bluffed Reiner.

"Huh, I'd thought for sure you'd know. That's surprising considering how you were ogling it all slack-jawed and bug-eyed, I figured we were seeing some kind of living legend. Weird"

"A monkey? Don't be cute" Eren muttered.

"Shut up and listen. Monkey, Beast Titan, whatever you wanna call 'em; he's behind this latest fiasco. It's why Titans have been cropping up out of nowhere. I get the feeling he's gauging our strength. Reiner and Bertolt are trying to get wherever he is, he's their ticket home. Feel free to correct me if I'm way off base"

"Wait! How did you know? Who are you?! What else haven't you told me?!" Eren questioned.

"Be patient!" Ymir scolded, "I'm caught up in circumstance of my own"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Eren, if you think killing these morons will put an end to all of this, you are sorely mistaken"

"Huh?! Then who's the enemy?"

"The enemy? Look if I told you things would get too-"

"Ymir!" Reiner called, interrupting the two, "There's no future for this world and you know it, you have a solid grasp on things. Whatever comes next, joining our side wouldn't be out of the question, if you were so inclined"

"And put my faith in you guys? That's rich! Neither of you can trust me as far as you can throw me"

"C'me on, that isn't true. We know what you really want, all you care about is protecting Krista. If we can all agree on that, then I don't see the conflict. I'm being absolutely serious; is it so hard to believe that we want what's best for her too? Hate to break to ya, but you're not the only one. Then again, you could always put your trust in Eren, see where that leads you"

"What?" Eren gasped.

"You're probably leaning towards escape; better to take a chance with him than throw in with us, am I right? Cause if we end up taking you, there's not much hope for being rescued. I'll be straight with you, that much is true. Even if you came willingly, we're not in a position to guarantee your safety. But if its Krista we're talking about, then we might be able to do something. It's your cal what's it gonna be? Is it Krista's future or your own petty existence?"

_Is there really no future for this world? Edith thought as her hopes for escape dwindled, Why? And the Beast? How did he figure in to all of this?_

"Come clean! Who's the real enemy?! Tell me what you know! Who is it?!" Eren demanded, turning on Ymir.

"Hm, couldn't say" Ymir sighed.

"Alright then, sorry Eren" Agreed Reiner.

Off in the distance, several green smoke flares rose into the sky, signalling the approach of the incoming Scouting Regiment. _The Scouts are here?_  Edith thought,  _Finally! But there's only one hour left until sunset! Which means we've only got one hour left to decide! Do or die?_


	45. Stories Untold: Children

_**"Sister Grey used to say 'It is only when we break do we find our sharpest edge…only when we look with an open mind, do we find what we've been searching for'…My memories may come in bits and pieces, but those words have always stuck with me…you can kinda see why"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Forest, Wall Maria**

_What are they talking about?_  Edith wondered, her gaze drifting from the red and green smoke flares signalling the Scout's approach over to where Reiner and Bertolt stood conferring with each other on what to do in low voices.

"What are you two doing now? I thought we were waiting 'til dark" Eren demanded when Reiner flitted down the branches to land between Eren and Ymir.

"There's been a slight change of plans, I'm gonna ask you nicely not to put up a fight" Reiner stalked forward towards Eren with a hand on his blade.

"Huh…Easy there's no need for us to get all violent! Not like I can resist like this" Eren bluffed, "…I mean take a look at me. Just…calm down, okay?"

"Hm"

Reiner nodded as Eren backed off, seemingly releasing his usual stubborn determination and hero complex. That was until he raced forth and hit the blonde in the face with a right hook, knocking him to the ground where he began to pound upon him. "Die! Die! Die you evil-!"

Reiner was able to hook a foot underneath Eren's chest and launched him away, sending him sailing backwards towards the trunk of the tree he was on. Reiner wasted no time and jumped Eren's back, holding the struggling boy in a chokehold until he passed out.

Once deemed unconscious, Reiner unceremoniously dropped Eren's body to the branch at his feet where the boy landed with a thud and groan. Next he turned to Edith who had watched the entire scene play out with a furious scowl written upon her face and her limbs tied together.

"And now you" Reiner stated pulling her up by the collar of her shirt until she was eye level with him.

"I'd liked to see you try" Edith spat, sending a wad of spit straight into his eye. Reiner's face twisted into one of disgust, wiping away the wad of spit as Bertolt moved up behind the girl with one of his blades in hand. Edith met darkness with a blow to the back of her head and knew no more.

Edith hung limply in Reiner's hands after Bertolt had hit her over the head with the hilt of his blade and the two quickly set to work setting her up for either the Titans or the Scouts to find. Whoever came first. What little ODM wire they could spare was used to hoist the small girl up in the air where she hung from a branch at the opening of the forest; swinging back and forth in the gentle breeze like a dead spider.

"There, let's go"

* * *

_**"…The origins of the Order of Ymir are unknown…though some suspect it was originally a smaller branch of the Eldian Restorationists, but this is not confirmed…The origin of the split between the Faeries and the Spriggans is also unknown…"- Order of Ymir, Anonymous** _

Pain ricocheted through Edith's body as she swung gently in the canopy, the breeze rocking her small frame to and fro. Her head throbbed from Bertolt's heavy blow to the back of her skull and her stumpy shoulder still burned slightly as the unknown red glow beneath her skin slowly stitched the wounds back together. Much like a Titan shifter but without the steam or instantaneous regeneration.

That's not to say that was the only reason she felt like she was in hell. Oh no. The physical pain coupled with the onslaught of old childhood memories brought everything to a whole new level and even enveloped in the darkness as she was; she still couldn't escape it.

Couldn't escape these old childhood memories, once thought lost and forgotten, ones that had begun to resurface once more. It would later be clear from their contents as to why she had surpassed them as a child in the first place. But then again wouldn't you?

_It's all coming back to me now…I've come so far, done so much and still wound up as their little shiny toy; broken and forgotten at the bottom of the toy chest._

_**Winter 836** _   
_**The Pit** _

_**"…Well, these ones look promising" A young Edith cracked her eyes open as she blinked blearily at the pair of women before her. The murky water in her tank bubbled and flowed around her, making it hard for her to fully see the women before her.** _

_**She recognised one of them as Sister Hound, one of the nuns who regularly visited her and her siblings down here in the Pit. She would usually refill their oxygen tanks and the strange red substance that was pumped into their tanks.** _

_**Sometimes she would talk to them, mostly when they were alone; Edith liked the stories about the outside where you could go wherever you wanted and play with whomever you chose.** _

_**Sister Hound also said that the red stuff they gave them was supposed to make them grow big and strong, but only the strongest of them could endure it. That was why several of her sisters had died already.** _

_**The other woman before her was older and hunched over a knobbly wooden cane, her own frame dressed in the familiar robes of the Sisters. The only difference between the two of them was the colouring of their skirts; where Sister Hound's was a mossy green, the other Sister's was a deep blue.** _

_**"What about this one?" The elderly woman leered at Edith, pressing as close to the glass as she dared so as to observe the young sleepy child encased in the large tank.** _

_**"Her? That's 3D174" Sister Hound proudly replied, puffing her chest out slightly as she spoke, "She's doing quite well; took the latest dosage without much fuss and seems to be holding out so far"** _

_**"Any side effects?"** _

_**"Not thus far"** _

_**"Any signs of shutdown?"** _

_**"No ma'am"** _

_**"Good, have her prepped for harvest"** _

_**"Ma'am?"** _

_**"It's time to start the real trials, isn't that right little Herald?"** _

_That was the first time I told myself I was free, that I could do whatever I wanted, that I didn't ever have to go back to that dark place again. But…_

_**Winter 836** _   
_**Church of Faeries, Order of Ymir** _

_**"…Attention! Attention!" Sister Hound clapped her hands, garnering the attention from all the girls sandwiched into the small room. The newly dubbed 'Edith' stood off to the side with the elder Sister from the Pit gripping tight to her shoulders, holding her in place and knocking away her small hand each time she tried to rub her itchy bandages.** _

_**The new clothes she wore were large and itchy on her tiny frame and she found herself constantly trying to readjust the green skirt as she moved, much to the Sister's irritation. Atop the long skirt she also wore a neatly pressed blouse that covered her bandages plus the new brand (still weeping blood) and everything was topped off with a small brown vest. All in all she looked like a child playing dress-up.** _

_**"We have a new Faery joining us today. Class, this is Edith" Sister Hound chirped, gesturing to the small red head in the doorway. "Say hello, Edith"** _

_**"H-hello" Edith squeaked, her high-pitched voice rather raspy from so little use.** _

_**"Hello Edith" The class eerily chorused together, some looked rather bored and others looked at her like she was prey.** _

_**"I leave her in your capable hands then, Sister Hound" farewelled the woman behind Edith.** _

_**"Thank you, Sister Oak. May the Goddess bless you" Sister Hound nodded to her.** _

_**"And to you" Edith jumped at the sudden slam of the door behind her.** _

_**"Come along Edith, you can sit next to Nona" Sister Hound gestured, gently pushing the young girl in the direction of a tween blonde at the end of the first row who smiled brightly at her when she stumbled forward.** _

_**"Hi Edith, I'm Nona! It's nice to meet you!" Chirped the happy blonde.** _

_**"A-ah you too" Edith stammered, shaking the blonde's hand.** _

_To be fair it wasn't as bad as it seemed. My food was warm and solid, I no longer ingested (too many) strange substances or slept in a filthy tank._

_**Church of Faeries, Order of Ymir** _   
_**836-840** _

_**The following years were filled with lessons in everything you could ever dream of and teachers that came in all shapes & sizes. There was Sister Grey who taught home economics, a skinny woman who looked like she would break in half like a toothpick.** _

_**And Sister Sage who taught them health and sciences; she was a plump woman who you would almost always see snacking on something. Then there was Sister Feather who taught languages and art; explaining through fluid reed-like movements how best to use their lessons in the real world.** _

_**And finally Sister Hound taught (deadly) combat training; a lesson that was slowly becoming Edith's favourite along with their alchemy lessons from Sister Sage.** _

_**And through it all? Nona, the little blonde novice she had met on her first day, had become like a sister-a real sister-to her; one that was often glued to her hip. For one rarely saw the blonde without the redhead tight as they were.** _

_Best of all? I knew what it meant to feel needed, really needed. For the first time in my life I actually meant something to someone else. That by far, was more precious to me than anything I could have ever hoped for._

_**The Great Hall, Church of Faeries** _   
_**Summer 840** _

_**Behind Edith, Sister Oak addressed the congregation. "It is this Novice Edith that inherits the blood of her Holy body, the Goddess Ymir. So long as she graces us with her presence, we shall be blessed" Sister Oak stood upon the altar steps at the front of the Great Hall, arms open wide to the Novices and Sisters alike.** _

_**Edith knelt before the statue of the Goddess Ymir with her forehead and hands touching the floor in front of her as she recited her ritual prayers. The long flowing robes coloured blood red swaddled her small frame as she prayed against the cold hard floor.** _

_**"…To the glorious East we have the Herald Maria…" The elder brunette to her left stood from her prayers to turn and face the congregation, a crown resembling goat horns sat atop her head. "…And her Blade Thorn…" A tall brunette joined Herald Maria at her side; garbed in a similar dress of pearly white.** _

_**"…To the wondrous West we have the Herald Rose…" A blonde adult stood tall to her right with her head held high and back straight. "…And her Blade Claw…" They too, wore the red robes of the Herald and the white robes of the Blade respectively.** _

_**"…And to the heavenly North we have the Herald Sina…" This time Edith rose and turned to face the congregation with her own Blade at her side. "…And her Blade Scar" Edith shared a small smile when Nona, garbed in white robes, she joined her side.** _

_**Edith ducked her head so that the goat crown could be placed on her head before stepping forth. Her bare feet slapped against the cold ground until she reached Sister Oak who had set up a large table between her and the congregation. Atop it sat a large tome filled to the brim with names written in red and to the right sat a bronze goblet and pitcher filled with an ill-looking substance.** _

_**With all eyes on her, Edith took in a breath before she began her part of the ritual. "Being sound of mind and willing of heart, I Novice Edith, blessed vessel of Ymir and child of Faeries call forth the Goddess Ymir to bless thine vessel with strength and power. I will uphold the values and customs of the Church and above all else the mighty Goddess who smiles down upon us.** _

_**Blessed be thy name! I am yours, now and forever!…" Picking up the athame, she ran it across her palm, drawing up a neat line of blood which she tipped onto the open page before her. "…With this blade I offer my blood…"** _

_**Next she picked up the old quill from the middle of the book and using her own blood as ink, wrote her name on the next spare line on the page. "…With this quill I offer my mortal name. No more am I Novice Edith, under your guidance I rise as your blessed vessel, Herald Sina! All hail the Goddess Ymir!"** _

_**Cheers rose in the congregation as the full goblet was passed from Herald to Blade, each taking a drink of the foul substance before passing it on. And yet as her blood dripped to the floor, Edith couldn't wipe the grin off of her face no matter how hard she tried.** _

_Then one day…_

_**Winter 840** _   
_**Goddess Ymir Shrine, Shiganshina** _

_**"Sister where are we going?" Edith asked, allowing herself to be dragged along by the elder girl through the twisting halls of the shrine. Nona's once kind face screwed up in disgust for a moment before it smoothed out into a perfect mask of happiness.** _

_**"Come on Sister! It's not a surprise if I tell you!" Nona forced a laugh as she forged on towards the courtyard.** _

_**"…Are you sure it's okay for us to be here, Sister?"** _

_**"Are you scared? I thought Heralds weren't supposed to feel fear" A tinge of bitterness leaked into the blonde's tone.** _

_**"I'm not!" Edith squawked as she stumbled a little, trying to keep up to her friend, "I just wanna know where we're going!"** _

_**"You'll see…"** _

_**And indeed she did. The room Nona had taken them to was the courtyard of the Goddess Ymir's shrine. It was an old one, one that was barely standing as it was with vines and other plant life crawling through every nook & cranny. The moss-covered statue of their deity stood tall in front of them and upon the altar? A single goblet filled with sweet smelling drink.** _

_I was cruelly reminded that everything I clung to was a lie. One lie, one sweet little lie. Oh Goddess! I was so naive! So gullible! But then again, what ten year old wasn't?_

_**"What is this, sister?" Edith turned to Nona, whose mask was slowly starting to crack the closer she came to her goal.** _

_**"It's a tradition; all the Heralds do it. You have to take communion in front of the altar with only your Blade by your side" Nona lied.** _

_**"Are you sure about this?"** _

_**"Are you gonna break tradition just 'cause you're scared? Maybe the Council was wrong, maybe you're not a worthy Herald"** _

_**"No! I am! Gimme that!" Snatching the full goblet from Nona, she tipped it back as she gulped down the sickly sweet liquid inside.** _

_**"That's it, evey single drop!" Nona cooed, her eyes gleamed wickedly.** _

_**Slamming the goblet none-too-gently back on the altar, Edith turned to Nona with a grin. "Ha! See! Whose worthy now, sister?"** _

_**"Who indeed" Nona crowed as the ten year old before her began to sway in place.** _

_**"Whoa! What's going on?" Edith stared at her hands as she blinked rapidly against the dots dancing around her vision.** _

_**"Did you really think I would follow you?" Nona's tone suddenly turned dark, "You? A child? How foolish could you be?" Her laughter sent chills up Edith's spine as she began to lose any feeling in her limbs.** _

_That's when I realised: I'd had it coming all along. I'd been deceived by the ones I held most dear. The sister I once cherished with all my heart, the family I had called my own…_

_**Eventually, Edith's body locked up and fell forward into Nona's waiting arms before she was heaved up and placed upon the now clear altar, at the statue's feet. "I have waited years-years!-to be proclaimed a Herald! I devoted myself! Sacrificed myself to the Church! And what do I get? I get to play second-fiddle to a child!"** _

_**Nona pulled out a syringe filled with a dark concentrated substance that Edith recognised as the poison they had been working on during their lessons with Sister Grey. Unable to do anything but watch, Edith remained frozen as Nona raised the syringe above her head, "…But no longer!" And slammed the syringe into her neck, pushing the poison into her veins where it burned like hellfire.** _

_But what else did I expect? That's what comes through looking at the world through murky waters._

_**"Can you feel the poison, little Herald? Can you feel it coursing through your veins? Burning you inside and out?" Nona taunted, leering down at the young child who remained unwillingly frozen in place.** _

_**"With you gone, I can finally take my rightful place as Herald! And the world will be free of another wretched brat!" Nona laughed, her eyes wicked with glee. "You'll join your precious Mother soon, Sina. You're gonna die here, little Herald and no one will ever know! No one but me!"** _

_**With muscles locked tight, the only evidence of Edith's pain was the river of tears trailing from her eyes and pattering onto the altar below.** _

_And then I met you…and I looked into the eyes of true freedom. The first thing I thought? Was if there was such a thing as fate, then she was a bitchy little cunt…_

_**Nona had left not too long ago to deal with the band of Spriggans encroaching on the Faery lands. There was a reason this shrine was desolate-there had been many disputes between the two Churches over this one plot of land and this one was no different.** _

_**Except maybe Nona intended for her death to look like a message from the Spriggans? The death of a young Herald? That would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons; a call to war for sure.** _

_**Edith assumed it was Nona returning to finish her off when she heard the returning crunch of footsteps on wintry gravel nearing her resting place. Instead it was another Sister. This one was older by several years, at least thirty years old and had been exiled from the Church some months prior for inappropriate behaviour.** _

_**Edith had only ever seen her in passing.** _

_And I thanked her for bringing you to me that night._

_**And finally on one wintry night in the 840th year, both Sister and Herald vanished into the night.** _


	46. Hunter or Hunted: Charge

_**"…Y'know Ymir had this huge plan that she going to sweep Krista/Historia off of her feet and whisk her away into this romantic wonderland where she'd propose…to her beau-down on one knee and everything…Guess that's gone out the window now that the shit has hit the fan"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Territory, Wall Maria**

The Scouts thundered towards the Titans forest with a roaring war cry, their numbers much smaller than when they had left. The smaller Titans that currently occupied the edges of the forest were a worry at first, but were soon disregarded in favour of the familiar strike of Titan light lighting up the centre of the forest and everything else within the vicinity.

"Huh? That light…" Mikasa looked up.

"You saw it too, huh?" Armin kept pace with her, "It's coming from the forest! I think someone's transforming into a Titan!"

Further ahead, at the front of the pack, Erwin had taken notice of the light was well. "We're out of time" He muttered as he led the group closer to the forest's edge, "SOLDIERS DISPERSE!" He ordered, splitting the group in half, one going right and the other going left. "THE ENEMY HAS ASSUMED TITAN FORM! FIND THE HOSTAGES AND GET THEM OUTTA THERE!"

As the group skirted the edges of the Titan forest, large hands came flying out as they picked off those who got too close. Easy pickings really. "BATTLE IS NOT OUR OBJECTIVE! LOCATE, RECOVER AND RETREAT!" Erwin emphasised pushing the squads on passed their already lost comrades.

"Round up the horses" Hannes ordered, taking lead of his squadron.

"Right away sir!" Replied Smith as Hannes, Mikasa, Armin and Ryan flew up into the canopy along with the other squads.

"FIRST THING WE DO IS PINPOINT THE ENEMY AND THEN TELL THE OTHERS!" Hannes called over his shoulder, the order more directed at the hot-headed Mikasa than anyone else. "…THEY'RE FLEEING THROUGH THE WOODS SO STAY SHARP! BREAK!" And with that the quartet split up, heading in different directions as they searched for Edith and Eren.

 _Edith, Eren where are you?_  Ryan thought as he flew towards the South end of the forest. His thoughts were soon cut off by the bellowing roar of a Titan however, one that sounded very close in fact.  _That's a Titan! And it's close!_

Zooming through the forest at breakneck speeds, Ryan soon came upon a scene he'd rather not have. Connie and his squad had paused in their pursuit when they had discovered Ymir in her Titan form clinging to the side of a large tree.

"…She's one of the people they took!" Connie called from next to Ymir, halting their superiors from killing her. When he was certain that they weren't going to attack, Connie turned on Ymir. "…What the hell happened? Where is everybody else? Is Eren okay? What about Edith? Or Bertolt and Reiner?" Ymir seemingly ignored him as she continued to look for something…or someone.

Ryan was soon joined by Jean, Mikasa and Armin who had obviously changed course when they had heard the roar, much like he had done. "So this is Ymir…" Armin breathed.

"Did she assume Titan form to take on Reiner and escape?" Mikasa suggested.

"YMIR! WHAT'S THE DEAL? DID YOU MANAGE TO GET AWAY FROM THEM? WHAT DIRECTION DID THEY GO?" Jean demanded.

"GIVE US SOMETHING TO GO ON! ANYTHING!" Sasha added, having appeared as well. And yet no reply was given in any form.

"SAY SOMETHING ALREADY! C'ME ON UGLY! WE'RE KINDA IN A RUSH!" Connie stomped on Ymir's head in a fit of anger, but Ymir ignored him still.

"Is she keeping an eye out for Reiner?" Armin mused. "Why…why is she looking at us one by one?"

"Do you think she's…looking for something?" Ryan threw out there. They soon got there answer.

"YMIR!" Historia cried coming into the clearing, "THERE YOU ARE! THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALL RIGHT!"

Ymir, who had been ignoring the rest of them for the better half of five minutes, suddenly snapped her head in Historia's direction before launching herself off of the tree and straight towards the blonde with jaws open wide.

"Wha-?"

"What…?"

"Did she just…? Ymir what are you doing?" The cadets breathed out comments of shock as they watched Ymir effectively eat Historia and take off through the forest like a monkey on a mission.

"Don't just stand there! Move your asses!" Jean ordered, taking the lead in the pursuit of Ymir & Historia with Armin, Ryan& Mikasa right on his tail.

"Shit! She's fast!" Ryan cursed.

"We're loosing her!" Cried Jean as Ymir pulled ahead.

"Why would she do that?" Question Mikasa.

"What if wrong with you people?" Retorted Jean, "Am I seriously the only one who saw this coming?"

"Well it's clear where her loyalties are now. She and Reiner are on the same side, we were lured into a trap!" Cried Armin.

"Fuck!" Jean cursed when a second set of Titan light lit up the clearing in front of them, whether at the sudden blinding or at the implications behind it, Ryan wasn't sure, nor in that moment did he care. For the sight before him made him stop cold.

With his suddenly heart in his very dry mouth and blood pounding in his ears, Ryan stared wide-eyed at the person before him. A very familiar person. "No…" Ryan breathed staring up at the limp form of his friend as she hung from the tree like a broken piñata.

"Is that…?" Armin trailed, coming up next to Ryan."Is she…?"

Refusing to believe what Armin was suggesting, Ryan rocketed forward and plucked Edith from her perch, where he then landed on one of the outcropping branches at the other end of the Titan forest. With shaky hands, he tried to disentangle her from the wires she had been wrapped in; at some point Jean had joined him to help.

Once free, Ryan quickly set to work in finding some sort of sign that she was okay. With bated breath he searched for her pulse beneath her neck-there!  _Lub-dub Lub-dub Lub-dub_. Ryan let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as he carefully rolled Edith over onto her back.

Although he had visibly sagged in relief earlier, the sight that greeted him now was almost more disturbing. Markings grew from her eyes and ran down her cheeks like bloody tears and reminded him very much of the ones on a Titan shifter after they had emerged from their carcass. And worst of all? The markings glowed a brilliant red, like lightning dancing beneath her skin.

On her other side, Jean sucked in a breath through his teeth unable to tear his eyes away from her. "What the hell…?" He breathed.

"Ryan!" Armin called from the next tree over, "Is she…?"

"She's alive!" Ryan called back, still cradling the redhead in his arms. "Just unconscious!"

Turning back to Edith, he freed a hand so as to try and awaken her. "Ed? Ed can you hear me? Ed?" Ryan gently slapped Edith's cheeks in an effort to wake her up. And she did a little. Edith's eyelids fluttered rapidly and her eyes rolled back and forth beneath them as if she was dreaming.

When her face scrunched up in pain and mutterings fell from her lips, he knew it was a nightmare. "…No…Nona…stop please…hurts…Nona" Edith whined as tears fell from her eyes.

"Whose Nona?" Jean asked quietly, but received no reply.

"Edith? Edith? Can you hear me? I need to wake up now" Ryan tried again, "Edith?"

"Shit! No! They're getting away with Eren!" Armin's voice caught the pair's attention, causing them to look away from Edith's prone form and out across the landscape where Titan Ymir clung to the back of the Armoured Titan along with Bertolt and a bound Eren.

"MOVE IT! GET ON YOUR DAMN HORSES!" Hannes ordered when he appeared with Connie & his squad on his heels

"Sir!" The gathered group chorused.

"But what about Edith? She's not even awake!" Jean turned to Ryan who propped Edith up against the trunk of the tree before facing her.

"Oh please don't kill me for this…" Ryan muttered under his breath (although if the odd look he was getting from Jean was anything to go by, it wasn't as quiet as he would have liked) and raised his hand in the air.

_**SLAP!** _

"EDITH! WAKE UP!" Ryan yelled in her face, slightly guilty at the bright red hand print now covering her right cheek.

"…R-Ryan? J-Jean…?" Edith blinked groggily at the two before her as she fought to keep her eyes open. The sudden pain in her cheek was nothing compared to the pounding in her head, but she still raised a hand to the new throb present there, "Wha-?"

"Good, you're up. Let's go"

* * *

Erwin looked over his shoulder at the Armoured Titan as it emerged from the forest; still wary of the other ones hiding along the forest's edge. He knew that their window for retrieving Eren was slowly closing and with the sun already setting on the horizon, visibility would become non-existent soon. They had to do this now.

"RIDE! LET THE TIANS CHASE YOU! ALL SQUADS FOLLOW MY LEAD!" Erwin charged away from the forest with a select few Titans on his heels.

"DO WHAT? ERWIN YOU CONNIVING BASTARD! YOU'RE USING US AS BAIT AGAIN?!" Roared one of the MPs.

"IT'S THE ONLY WAY! YOU FOUGHT WELL AS MPS, NOW GIVE YOUR ALL AS SOLDIERS! THE ARMOURED TITAN MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE HE TAKES EREN! FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!"

With heavy hearts and fear-ridden souls the Scouts and MPs rode forth, luring the small forest Titans towards the retreating enemy.

* * *

"Reiner's too slow! We've got em!" Called Jean as the group followed close on the enemy's heels.

"I won't hesitate this time, I'll kill them without a thought" Mikasa vowed, her eyes dark "…If Ymir feels like getting in the way, so much the worse for her. This ends here and now, I  _swear it!"_

"What the hell…?" Ryan trailed off as he happened to glance up just in time to see Ymir hold up a rather soggy Historia, seemingly coughing up her lungs. Ryan winced when he heard Edith let out a hiss of pain behind him as their horse stumbled over a pothole. The arm around his waist tightened its hold on him as they continued on.

Despite her the extension of her prior injuries, Edith seemed to be doing well. Though it was undesirable for here to be moving at the moment (as he had yet to take full stock of her injuries), she was able to keep her eyes open and move around. The big headache and bruise on her head did cause him concern though. And then there was the red markings…just what was going on?

Up ahead, the sound of whistling steam caught his attention, bringing him back to focus. Ymir's Titan still clung to the back of the Armoured, but her upper half had emerged from the nape and appeared to be talking to a rather distraught Historia.

It was at that moment that Eren chose to wake and what he saw set his heart aflutter. Soldier after soldier each launched an attack on the Armoured, trying to set him free. It wasn't until Mikasa leapt forth and sliced through one of Ymir's eyes that some leeway was finally made.

Ryan could only watch from the ground as Mikasa landed on the Armoured's shoulder and stalked towards Bertolt who fled from her attack. "REINER! PROTECT US!" He roared as Reiner slapped his hands around his neck, pinning both Bertolt and Eren inside. Not that that deterred Mikasa.

With Ymir's intervention, Mikasa was forced to disengage from Reiner and take care of her first. "Alright then! Looks like Ymir goes first! RAAH!"

"MIKASA! NO!" Historia cried, putting herself between Mikasa's oncoming blades and Ymir. "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO KILL YMIR!"

"That all depends on her!" Mikasa retorted from the back of Reiner's head, "What will it be? She can step aside or she can die! Her choice!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! She'll die if she doesn't go along with whatever Bertolt and Reiner tell her to do! She's screwed either way!"

"Tch, listen there's only so many lives I can give a damn about! Cruel, but that's the world our enemies gave us six years ago; sorry I don't have nay heartstrings left for you to tug on. You want compassion? Move on, you want fair? Tough shit. Time's wasting, pick your side Historia: Eren or the  _bitch I'm gonna kill!"_

With Ymir, Mikasa and Historia sufficiently distracted, the other members of 104th cadet corps took to the air intent on freeing Eren from his fleshy cage. Other than Mikasa and Historia's rather loud…conversation of few moments ago, the one between Bertolt and his other classmates was much quieter in comparison. Which meant that Ryan only had their reactions to go on.

It wasn't until Hannes called out an order that Ryan's attention snapped to the horizon ahead of them. "OI! GUYS! GET DOWN FROM THERE AND TAKE COVER!" His eyes narrowed on the horizon, "What the hell is Erwin doing? He's off his rocker. LOOK! THE LUNATIC'S LEADING THE TITANS STRAIGHT FOR US!"

And indeed he was. Backed by the setting sun, Erwin led the other half of the soldiers and Titans alike in their direction.  _Holy shit!_

_**"Some Titans possess unique abilities…The Colossus Titan's super hot steam & the Armoured Titan's reinforced skin are examples of this…Origin of these powers are unknown…"-Titans through the Ages: Special Abilities, Geoff Bramwood** _

Erwin locked eyes with the Armoured as they came into view. With Titans on his heels and soldiers on the Armoured, he knew this was probably going to turn into a shit show. "JUMP DAMN YOU! GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE!" Hannes ordered as the cadets evacuated themselves from the Armoured.

"SQUADRONS BREAK!" Erwin ordered, "MAKE THE TITANS SCATTER!"

In an effort to overwhelm the enemy with their own kind, little thought had gone into what would happen to those still seated upon the Titans. In Historia's case, Ymir savagely went to work tearing through all who even tried to touch the blonde. As for Eren, he was still trapped behind Reiner's skeletal hands and bound to Bertolt with nowhere to go.

All of a sudden Reiner let out a roar that bellowed across the fiords. Everyone slammed to a halt at the call, all too aware of what that could possibly mean. Would he call upon other Titans to help him like Annie had? Or was it just a shout of frustration? Either way it wasn't going to be good.

"What's going on? Is this hell?" Questioned Jean. The soldiers were far enough away from the Titans swarming Reiner that they could watch on with less fear than if they had been underfoot; but that's not to say they were without fear all together.

"Not yet, but it will be!" Erwin called as he raced passed, "ALL SOLDIERS! CHARGE! WE'VE COME TO THE MOMENT OF TRUTH! MANKIND'S FATE IS DECIDED NOW! THERE IS NO FUTURE WHERE WE WILL RECLAIM THESE LANDS WITHOUT EREN AND THERE NEVER WILL BE! GO! RECOVER EREN FROM THE ARMOURED TITAN AND RETREAT! YOUR HEART AND SOUL TO THE CAUSE!"

While the soldiers were ordered forward, what medics had survived were left gathered on the plateau overlooking the battle. There was no used wasting good medics. Many shifted on their horses as they shared the feeling of unease watching their comrades run forth into battle, many looking death in the face.

"No…!" Edith breathed over his shoulder as they watched Erwin get ripped from his horse, his arm lodged firmly in a Titan's mouth. And yet Erwin ordered the fleet onwards.

"I SAID ADVANCE GODDAMMIT! EREN'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, DO NOT FALTER!"

The next few moments passed by in a series of flying limbs and blurred actions. One moment the group had been charging towards the swarm of Titans and the next Mikasa had swooped in to grab Eren who was free falling after Erwin had reappeared and set him free; all thanks to Armin channelling Hanji in his psychological torture.

"ALL SOLDIERS RETREAT!"

With that call, all remaining soldiers turned on their heels and headed back towards the Walls…Or at least they would have had had the sudden appearance of Titan flying overhead not stopped them in their tracks.

"He's tossing Titans now? That son of a bitch has gone berserk!" Jean remarked dodging out of the way of any of the flying debris.

"Holy cra-!" Was all Ryan got out before both he and Edith were tossed from their horse by the shockwave of the next Titan thrown. Caught amongst the flying debris, Ryan distantly recognised the sound of Armin calling out for Mikasa and Eren before both he and Edith hit the ground, flopping over like ragdolls.

Gritting his teeth, Ryan was able to push himself up onto shaky hands and then finally fall backwards onto his ass. He quickly searched for Edith, hoping against hope that she was okay.  _Being tossed around would not have been good for those previous injuries._  He worried.

"Oh thank God…" Ryan breathed upon spotting Edith a few meters away and sitting upright. Though she was hunched over and clutching onto her head in pain with whimpers and tears escaping her; that was not what caused his heart to drop to his feet.

Just beyond Edith, there he stood. Ryan stared wide-eyed and full of fear at the Titan grinning down at them with a mouth full of boulder-sized fangs and bloody lips. Never before had Ryan felt so much fear, fear that kept him rooted in place, fear he never hoped to feel again.

_Is this Death…?_


	47. Hunter or Hunted: Scream

_**"…I swear, Eren's middle name must be trouble…he's such a magnet for it, sometimes I can't help but wonder if he goes looking for it…I wonder if it rubs off on others? Can you catch it like a cold? Is there a cure?…I hope I didn't catch it, but knowing me…"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850** _

**Spring 850**   
**Titan Territory, Wall Maria**

Some say that when you look Death in the face, your own life flashes before your eyes. Every happy memory, every sad one. All the moments you wished you could erase and the ones that still make you cringe. And what do they add up to? You might say you lived a fulfilling life, or maybe you left behind a mark on the world. But in the end we're nothing more than bugs on a window, waiting to be swatted.

All around them, the ground rolled and rumbled beneath their feet like the rough seas during a storm. Titans surrounded them on all sides; some ran across the fiords like children chasing an animal, whilst others fell from the sky, raining down on them like boulder-sized hail.

Amongst it all Ryan found himself rooted in place, stuck with nowhere to go and nothing to do. At his feet his ODM gear lay whispering gas from the broken canisters and his blades had fallen somewhere behind him when he had landed.

If this had been any other scenario he might've actually enjoyed it _[just look at those views!]_ ; but alas the fear coursing through him as he stared Death in the eyes prevented him from any of that. Distantly, he recognised the sound of someone calling his name-a fellow medic perhaps?

He also knew that across from him Edith still sat clinging to her bowed head like it was causing her excruciating pain. Fingers dug into her scalp and wove between the strands of hair as they fell out of the crown braid she had worn it in that day. His thoughts sluggishly floated around his brain as he continued to stare up at the creature before him.  _I…I should…help…She-she…needs…help…my help…should help…should…_

But no matter how he tried, Ryan could not make himself move. Not for himself, not for his patient, not even for the girl he so feverishly cherished. _Does that…make me…a coward? Or just…human?_  His eyes trailed from the beady little eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, to the remnants of the Titan's last victim still stuck between its teeth.

And then there she was, blonde ponytail swinging behind her as she flew straight towards the jaws of Death as if she were travelling through the trees. Piper. Piper who, only months prior had transferred from the Scouting Legion to the Garrison due to personal reasons.

Who, he hadn't seen since the Trost incident, who no matter the situation could make you smile… "RYAN! MOVE YOUR ASS! GET OUTTA HERE BEFORE YOUR TITAN CHOW!" …And who gave zero fucks about beating around the bush. A giddy laugh fell from his lips as he watched her tackle the Titan head on.

But laughter soon turned to wails as he helplessly watched her be snatched from the sky, yanked sideways as the Titan easily plucked her from flight and tossed her down his throat like a child playing a game. She didn't even have time to scream. Or he thought she hadn't, but he could hear screaming all the same… _Was that him? The raw throat could probably attest to that._

Teary eyes stayed glued to the munching teeth before him, bloody and worn as they were.  _Is that…Piper's arm? Oh God! Her jacket!_  The object in question hung from between two incisors from where it had become stuck during consumption.  _Oh God! I think I'm gonna be sick!_

The large hand that now reached for them appeared rather pudgy and easily matched the rest of the Titan's appearance. Loose naked flesh hung off the Titan skeleton like heavy drapes. Distantly he recognised the roar of a Titan layered overtop of Eren's own desperate shout.  _Good God is that kid loud! Does he ever shut up? Probably not._  Ryan smiled despite himself.

In front of him, Edith was practically bent in half with her forehead touching the cold dewy grass beneath them and the Titan? For some reason it had paused in its actions with its hand mere meters away from them before it had shaken its head as if ridding himself of a thought and continuing on.  _Oh God! This is death! I'm going to die!_

Across from him, Edith who had been whimpering in pain with little pleas falling from her lips, suddenly let out a much louder sound of pain. The low keening noise that escaped from her reminded Ryan more of a wounded animal than a soldier. "E-Edith…?" Ryan stammered, his voice cracking as the Titan neared him.

By now the Titan was mere steps away, its shadow easily blanketing them where they sat. Ryan's heart felt like it was jackhammering by now, practically bursting out of his chest in his panic and yet he still could not move.

Edith's pain seemed to become too much for her to handle as she suddenly bolted upright, threw her head back and  _howled._

* * *

Tears and snot collected in a messy trail as they ran down Edith's pained face, mixing with the blood steadily dripping from her nose and lips. Heartstring-pulling, gut-wrenching wails flew from her mouth as she finally expressed the pain she had been feeling all that time and fingers still clung to the aching head in her hands.

With eyes screwed shut in pain she would never know the spectacle she caused, nor the pain. Unbeknownst to Edith the wind swirling around her in a tight tornado was not from a sudden gust of breeze but from the very power she was emitting. Nor would she know about the rapid healing of her stump and the bruise at the back of her head.

She would never know, that the once faded markings littered across her face had soon come back to life, glowing bright then ever before. Glowing like a blood red sunset and dancing beneath her skin like flickering lightning in a thunderstorm.

She would never know that the bright red glow not only emanated from her, but from the beneath the very earth as well. How all around her, cracks formed spreading outwards like snakes int he grass as light shone through. Nor would she know how the very same crystal that seemed to creep down her limbs, also spread out onto the ground as well.

And worst of all? She would never know how from those shiny cracks, a blood red crystal had burst forth to form stalagmites sprouting upwards and outwards in a circle. Shooting out rows upon rows of sharp crystal that devoured everything in its path.

And it really was everything. There was the collection of boulders off to the left burst into a shower of debris and joined the other pieces of earth that had been pushed into the air by the force of power emitting from Edith. And the approaching Titan above her, who had reared back in pain when the red crystal had punctured the outstretched limb.

Or the remains of a fallen soldier which had been thrown backwards by the sudden force just as Ryan had been. Only he hadn't landed on a soft patch of grass like the corpse had, oh no. Ryan had been thrown into the air at the same time a stalagmite had erupted from the earth and had impaled him up through the stomach and shoulder blades.

Shock blanketed Ryan like an old friend, making it hard for him to recognised what had happened. He barely registered the pain coursing through as blood dripped from the open wound, and black dots swarmed his vision with only one thought flittering across his mind.  _Well, that's new…_

* * *

Eventually the painful screams came to a cease, but not because Edith drew to a close. No, instead the very Titan that had been looming over the pair of medics had swooped in again, ready to go for the kill once more. But first the cry had to stop.

The large meaty hand swung low across the fiords, slinging Edith out of the circle of protection she had created and back towards the group of medics and soldiers now gathered up on the plateau. The once strong crystal encasing her small frame, shattered upon impact as Edith slammed into one of her superiors, knocking him off his horse.

The two tumbled and rolled for a metre or so before coming to a stop in a tangle of limbs. Pain was still clearly written across Edith's face though less than before and quiet whimpers still fell from her lips. However this time the red markings on her cheeks almost appeared burnt to the skin like someone had taken a cattle brand to her face.

It would be fair to say that Edith had a lot of explain to do, but for now she had to rest. Few words were exchanged as the call to retreat was issued, and Edith was loaded onto the back of one of the horses, where she then slumped against their rider, allowing the darkness to take her away.

_**"Although humanity has treated the Titans as some sort of natural disaster, they could actually be the product of human actions. At the very least the fact that the Colossus Titan's destruction of Wall Maria and attack on the Shinganshina District was born of a human's intent to kill other humans within the Walls is highly significant…The Titan calamity is not divine from some transcendental being, but rather an invasion. As such it is illogical for us to sit back calmly and accept our fate. We will not fold, we swear this on the blood of out countless comrades-in-arms" -Disclosed Information: Pledge of Indomitability** _

* * *

_**"With reports maintaining the likelihood of Wall Rose having been compromised, citizens of the region were forced to take refuge in the subterranean city within the confines of Wall Sina.** _

_**However, although emergency provisions had been stockpiled for the purpose with over half the population relying on them, rations could only last-at most-a week. Beyond that lurked the terrible choice: turn on each other like animals or face the prospect of starvation to avoid a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions. Within a week of the Titan onslaught, the authorities declared Wall Rose secure"- 'Trials of a Rookie: Battle of Rose', Armin Arlert** _

**Spring 850**   
**Hospital, Trost District**

Edith leant back against the pile of pillows behind her as she clutched tight to the two little packages in her hand; all around her moans of the injured and wounded echoed throughout the building like a symphony.

She had woken during the night to find that most if not all of her injuries had healed overnight, much to the surprise of the medics and herself. But they had ordered that she stay and rest further so as not to further irritate any still healing injuries. Edith just figured that they wanted to poke and prod her some more.

Heaving a sigh and with much trepidation, Edith drew on as much courage as she could as she ripped open the white envelope before her. Inside lay a collection of slightly yellowed pages. She had to choke back a sob when she saw what they were; it was the standard final will and testament that all soldiers were required to have.

Of course she had been told beforehand that Ryan was dead and because of her no less. Norfolk had had the privilege of telling her when she had first awoken and delivered the papers to her. Edith hadn't wanted to believe it, but here they were.

She carefully unfurled the papers that had been rolled up and folded in on themselves to fit in the envelope. The first was Ryan's will and testament, the rest made up a letter and all of them addressed to Edith. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as Edith began to read.

_I, Ryan Thompson Hill, being sound of mind, bequeath my possessions to the following people:_

_To my mother, Mary Amelia Hill (nee Samson), I leave my collection of hand-knitted sweaters in the hopes that she finds some peace within the stitches._

_To my father, John Henry Hill, I leave the key to secret wine cellar, enjoy it while you can._

_To my eldest sister, Annabelle Lacy Hill, I leave my albums of dried flowers and medicinal books in the hopes that she find them useful in her practise._

_To my youngest sister, Georgina Charlotte Hill, I leave my collection of novels in the hopes that she can find her freedom within the pages I so loved._

_To my friend, Edith Marie Brown, I leave my lucky leather brown jacket in the hopes that it brings her the same luck._

Tears splattered against the paper and Edith gently wiped them away, only smudging the ink a little. Fiddling with the silver band that had fallen out of the envelope along with the letters, she continued on to the letter.

_To my dearest Edith,_

_How am I even supposed to start this? We're both so terrible with words, I guess that's why we get on so well. I want you to know that I'm not scared. Well not of dying, anyway; it's more of forgetting. It's losing myself to this cause, that's what scares me._

_So every night before bed, I've been saying their names out loud. John, Mary, Annabelle, Georgina. Like you do with your list of fallen on the stone wall. I just repeat them over and over like a prayer, and it all comes flooding back._

_Just the little things; like the way the sun used to hit the vineyards at that perfect moment, illuminating the grapes right before it slipped beneath the Walls or when I'd wake in the mornings, lying right beside you and you'd be curled up in my arms, clinging tight like I'd slip away._

_And I remember the taste of Cook's flapjacks, God, I'd never thought I'd miss that stuff so much, all burnt muesli and overripe fruit. And I remember you. From the first time that I met you when we were supposed to be collecting herbs from the glade; just this tiny little girl who broke my nose for trying to kiss her._

_But from that moment when we danced along to the beat of the forest and swam beneath the starry sky in nothing but our birthday suits, I knew I would follow you anywhere. And I have. If I could do it all over again, I would and I wouldn't change a thing._

_I hope by this point I've grown enough balls to ask for your hand in marriage, how cliché would it be for me to do it on my deathbed? I hope we're happy, that you're happy. And my hope for you is when you're looking back at this, years from now, you'll be able to say the same. Our future's in your hands now Eddie; but no pressure, right?_

_I know you'll find a way to do what's right, you always have. Take care of everyone for me, and take care of yourself. You deserve to be happy. Thank you for being my best friend, my love. Now, how to finish this letter? I know you hate the word 'goodbye' because it's so final, so I think I'll simply say 'love you'._

_Love you loads Ed,_   
_Ryan_

* * *

It was not long after that Hanij had come looking for Edith, stating that Commander Erwin wanted to talk to her and didn't that just set her on edge? With red-rimmed eyes and stiff joints, Edith followed after Hanji through the twisting hallways of the Trost hospital.

The new arm that Peggy had installed while she had been under glistened in the evening sun as the pair passed by a couple of her classmates gathered under the archways bordering the courtyard. Edith couldn't meet their eyes.

Finally the pair found themselves standing with the doorway of Erwin's room. Both women saluted the three men within; over by the window Levi stood in a suit and vest, Erwin was in the bed looking a little worse for wear and Pixis lounged in the chair at Erwin's bedside.

"Pardon the intrusion, Erwin" Hanji saluted with Edith at her side. "Um, this is…state your name"

"Sir, Edith Brown, sir, 104th cadet corps" Edith saluted.

"Good you found her" Erwin replied, "We need to talk"

Edith swallowed hard.


	48. The Uprising: Smoke Signal

**_"…Family reunions are so weird, like 'Hey, here's this stranger you know so much about but haven't seen in years!'…And there's always some kind of baggage that comes along too…Family ain't family until someone cries…"—Edith M. Brown Diary, 850_ **

**_**Spring 850  
Beyond Wall Rose** _ **

Crouching next to a patch of wild mushrooms along the edge of the forest path, Edith quickly set to work harvesting them. Further up ahead, she could catch glimpses of Jean, her keeper for the day, as he set about collecting what pieces of firewood he could find.

Not much disturbed the quiet setting of the forest they were foraging; a bird call here, a rustle of the canopy there; occasionally there would be a curse or two floating down on the wind as Jean pricked a finger or dropped some wood on his toe.

Despite their current situation, Edith knew that this trip into the woods was more for her sake than anything else. After the most recent expedition and Ryan's death she had been rather distant—both mentally and physically—something that she was rather embarrassed about.

And that didn't even take into account how protective Jean had been the last few days; whether out of some kind of moral or personal obligation to either Ryan or herself, she wasn't sure. But as the days drew on, it became undoubtedly clear that he felt he needed to watch over her; whether it was by merely being in the same room or by volunteering to be her keeper for the day.

Eren had even gone so far as to tease Jean about him harbouring some kind of crush on Edith, Jean denied it vehemently of course but Edith couldn't help but wonder what had caused this sudden change.  _Just what did he see out there? Just what did I do?_

Ryan's death and the most recent expedition played on Edith's mind often, it chipped away at her piece by piece leaving her no more than a shell some days. Edith's stomach rolled at the memory, whatever she had done had not only killed her most dearest friend and lover, but had revealed bits of her past that she would rather have laid buried.

Then there were the memories of the subsequent interrogation in Commander Erwin's hospital room; ones that made her stomach sink and her heart clench. She had never more felt like a child at the principal's office than right then. How Levi had stared her down the entire time, how Erwin had refused a prosthetic on the grounds of how long recovery would take or even how Pixis & Hanji had looked her over like a piece of meat, how Norfolk had described what she had done…It was so sickening…

Quickly pushing away from the tree where the mushrooms had sprung from, Edith bent over and expelled what little contents were in her rolling stomach. Bile, snot and tears mixed together on the forest floor in a pile of roiling filth, all the while red light danced out of the corner of her eyes. Gagging on the taste in her mouth, Edith coughed and choked out the last of the bile as her stomach heaved.

Falling back onto her rump once done, Edith hastily wiped away the red-tinted bile that dripped from the corner of her lips.  _That's the third time this week._ Edith mused, watching as the thick red substance slowly dribbled down her fingers; the skin beneath reflecting the slight glow of the unknown substance. Well, that's not quite true, Edith had a feeling she knew what it was and why it had been happening; it was the solution to the problem that she feared most.

Quickly pulling her things and herself together, Edith moved further down the forest path after Jean, making sure to keep the boy in her sights and the site of her earlier incident behind them.  _That was lucky,_ Edith paused, moving to pluck horopito leaves from the lower branches of the canopy,  _It's a good thing Jean was so far ahead…and taking a piss!_

But although these thoughts, obsessive and addicting as they were, Edith was thankful that she had 'awoken' from her depressive slump not too long ago, or at least a little anyway. A young boy, no older than six or seven, had come to the door (somehow bypassing  _all_ of the security measures of their current hideaway) and delivered a handwritten note addressed to her from her Sisters Rose & Maria.

While the note had been nothing more than a few short words, the sudden reaching out from her Sisters had come as enough of a shock to awaken Edith from her depression. It had been so long since she had last heard from them, so why now? She was just thankful that the rest of the newly minted Levi squad had been out in the valleys keeping watch over Hanji & Eren's Titan experiments at the time (sans Jean who was snoring away at the table, having very nearly fallen asleep in his bowl).

A crack of a branch crunching underfoot made Edith pause and pulled her from her thoughts as she spun on her heel to face the noise behind her. "Edith?" Jean called from further up ahead when he realised the brunette wasn't with them. The tall boy paused in his walk, arms now free of the firewood that he had lain at his feet before moving back to stand next to the medic.

"What is it?" Jean tacked on as Edith's eyes scanned the woods around them.  _There!_

"I know you're there, don't bother hiding" Instead of answering Jean, Edith called out to the figures hidden in the trees. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jean tense and his hands flickered to the blades strapped at his waist.

There was a beat of silence as nothing moved, the woods still rustled in the wind and birds still chirped in the trees, but the figures in the trees seemed to wait until they had locked eyes with Edith before they dropped from their perches. When the pair rose to their full height in front of the duo, Edith felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Who're you?" Jean demanded, blade raised towards the two who appeared unmoved by the threat; he had moved to stand slightly in front of Edith clearly showing that he meant to protect her from the two unknowns before them, though he only clutched to the hilts of his blades.

As Edith let her eyes trail over the new scars marring the taller brunette to her left and then to the alchemic tattoos adorning the sleeves of the blonde to her right; she in turn felt their gazes rove over her small form and her metallic prosthetic in particular. Much had changed between the three in the years passed, but they still recognised them for who they were.

"Hello Sina, it's been a long time" Maria smiled sadly.

"State your name & your business here!" Jean continued, blade still raised as he shifted on his feet, tense and ready for battle.

"Cease your whimperings, foolish child" Rose turned to Jean and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. When hand met forehead, Jean collapsed to the ground in a boneless heap where he lay fast asleep.

"Jean!" Edith cried rushing forth to check on the other boy.

"Hush your cries Sister, the boy sleeps, nothing more" Maria stated in reply of the unspoken question, before both she and Rose turned to face Edith. In turn, Edith rose from her crouch and stepped closer to the pair at some point during the interaction.

"You sent that child to me" Edith stated, her gaze now solely on her Sisters despite the unconscious boy at their feet.

"Aye, we did" Maria nodded.

"Why?"

"We needed to deliver a message to you, Sister" Rose added.

"…Why now? It's been ten years, so why now? Why the sudden need to reach out?"

Both Maria and Rose shared a look between them, one worrying their lip between their teeth and the other raised an eyebrow in silent question before they turned back to her. "It's…about the Council, Sina" Rose began.

"What…about the Council?" Edith asked warily eyeing the two.

"The Council caught word of your birth last Spring" Maria continued. "They performed a mass Communion on the night of your birth, Sister"

Edith sucked in a sharp breath at that; Communion was only given on specific holidays and outside of those days? Bad news. "Everyone was in attendance, even the Council themselves" Maria ended.

"Everyone…?" Edith breathed sharply, tears gathered in her eyes "E-even…even the Blades?"

"Even the Blades" Rose replied solemnly.

"Shit" Edith sniffed, wiping away the tears that ran down her cheeks and splattered to the ground beneath her feet.

"There's more, Sina" Maria continued softly.

"More?" Edith glanced up with teary eyes.

"The stars are aligning, Sister, paths are connecting and precious times draw near" Edith nodded her acknowledgement, still upset at the sudden news her Sister had told her about the Church. Sisters, teachers, friends, all of them gone just like that.

"It is time for us to leave, but know that we are always with you Sister" Rose stated as the approaching voices of their squad drew near to the boundary of the woods in which they hid. She moved forward and clasped Edith's forearm in a gentle grip and in returned Edith gripped hers. Metal holding flesh. The two then pulled themselves together until both of their noses and foreheads gently embraced each other.

"May the Goddess bless you" Rose whispered with eyes closed.

"And also with you" Edith replied before stepping back and repeating the same process with Maria. Edith stood and watched as they disappeared into the trees, melting back into the shadows of the forest before she turned to the boy still sprawled on the forest floor.

Taking care, Edith pulled the blades from Jean's tight grip (he was lucky that he hadn't landed on them when he had collapsed) and set them aside before rolling the boy over onto his back. She moved to remove the waterskin at her hip and poured the cold water over his face, effectively waking him from his sleep.

"Hey!" Jean cried with wide eyes, jumping to his feet as if he had just awoken from a bad dream, "Eurgh! W-what happened? Why…does my head hurt?" He clutched his aching head in his hands.

Next to him, Edith rose to her feet. Furiously Edith tried to scrub her eyes free from the tears now falling freely, tracing tracks down her cheeks and pit-pattering onto the forest floor below. When Jean had recovered somewhat, he turned to the ginger who was busying herself with the bag of herbs she had dropped earlier. It was clear she was trying to hide her face from the boy in an attempt to appear focused on the task at hand. "Edith? Are you okay? What happened?"

"…Let's just go" Edith rasped, refusing to meet his concerned eyes and moved back towards the log house in which they were camped.

* * *

Returning to the cabin, Jean and Edith quickly set about placing their items aside, just in time for Eren and Historia to emerge from the kitchen and Hanji's squad to return from their errands in Trost.

"Now, what's this about?" Levi questioned, taking note of Hanji's forlorn expression.

"I'm sorry, Pastor Nick…he was murdered…Today in the Trost barracks" Informed Hanji.

"Do…do you know how he died?" Edith questioned, not quite meeting Hanji's eye.

"…Why? Do you know something, Brown?"

"It's just…it's-it's not…unusual for the Church to…take care of their own" Edith shifted in place as she crossed her arms, trying to hide her shaken hands.

"Church? Do you mean the Wallists or the…what was it Faeries? Spriggans?"

"It depends on the killing…each one has their own…signature I guess"

"And you're familiar with these…signatures?"

"I'm more familiar with ours…but unless the Wallists have changed theirs recently…"

Hanji and Levi narrowed their eyes at the young medic, the silence stretching on as Edith shifted in place, unnerved at the sudden attention she was receiving. Although the members of the new Levi squad knew some of her background involving the Faeries and the Order of Ymir, it was mostly just the basics. Though Edith had an inkling that the likes of Armin and Jean were starting to cotton on that there was more to the picture.

"Anyway, Nick's death  _was_  anything but peaceful" Hanji continued, making a mental note to catch up with Edith later, "The interior Military Police tortured Nick and then murdered him" Edith sucked on her lower lip as her brows furrowed in thought. "I figured the Church would wanna get their hands on Nick when they learned he was cooperating with the Scouts; that's why I hid his identity and had him stay in the barracks…I never imagined they would use soldiers to kill him…This is my fault, I should've been more careful"

"They tortured him? For information, right? Did they just want to know what he'd passed onto us?" Armin mused.

"Most likely" Levi agreed, "But these are the interior MPs we're dealing with, so you can bet there's something deeper than work here. Now, how many nails was the good Pastor missing?" Levi turned to Hanji.

"Huh?" Hanji perked up.

"How many? You saw right?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him, but all the nail beds I saw were empty"

"People who talk, talk after one. If they don't, ripping off more won't make a difference—" Edith interjected absentmindedly, mindless of the eyes on her "—Usually, if one method doesn't work, they'd switch to something more painful. I wonder why they continued with the nails? Maybe to make it look like he'd gone insane and killed himself?"

"You really think they'd do that?" Armin questioned.

"Well, it's happened before" Edith shrugged in reply.

"What? When? I don't remember hearing about that" Hanji interjected.

"No, I s'pose you wouldn't" Edith shook her head, "The Wallists have a lot of influence within the Walls—especially over the last few years. Besides, from what I remember it was mostly poisonings"

"From what you remember?"

"Well, the Church functioned as a school, so we had lessons. Obviously" Edith replied, the 'duh' going unsaid, "Anyway, if Nick is dead, then the MPs won't know that  _we_ know about the Reiss family, right?"

"Right" Levi nodded, "But, the government is up to something and we've got a target on our backs"

Before anyone could say anymore, a messenger burst in through the door to deliver a single note to Levi. No sooner had Levi opened and read the message, did the small cottage become a flurry of activity as everyone quickly gathered up their things. Every nook and cranny, every drawer and cupboard and even the woodpile outside, was inspected to see if any trace of them being there had been left behind.

By dusk, they had gathered up on the ridge overlooking their previous encampment, just in time to watch the MPs bust the door down and tear the place apart. "Whew! That was close!" Connie sighed, watching the scene with rapt attention, "What if they had caught us? Would they rip our nails off too?"

"They'd probably do worse" Edith murmured under her breath, but if Connie's wide eyes were anything to go by, not quiet enough.

"How did Commander Erwin know they were headed here?" Armin asked.

"The Government's passed down some new orders" Levi sighed, "There's been a freeze on all Scout activity outside the Wall. We're to hand over Eren and Historia"

_"What?"_

_I s'pose that makes sense. With Eren as the only Titan on our side, and Historia with a possible link to the Reiss family, it makes sense to want them back._ Edith nodded minutely as the messenger explained that Commander Erwin had been rounded up by the MPs like a common-day criminal.  _That too, actually— everyone knows if you want to kill a snake you chop off the head._


End file.
